Sagan Estate Sues Luma Over 8-Second Ray 3.14 Ad Clip, Seeks to Block Its Use

Carl Sagan’s estate has sued Luma AI over an advertisement for Ray 3.14 that allegedly used an eight-second recording of the astronomer’s voice without authorization. The complaint brings copyright, false-endorsement and unfair-competition claims.

Druyan-Sagan Associates filed the case on August 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow and an Emmy-winning producer, manages the company, which owns rights to Sagan’s intellectual property, including Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.

An archival voice in product marketing

The estate says Luma used the clip as the centerpiece of its ad. Its allegation is about a recording of Sagan’s own words placed in marketing for an AI product, not merely a reference to his work; the estate characterizes that use as making him an unwitting spokesperson without permission.

The complaint identifies one specific passage and a specific duration. That detail gives the dispute a defined object: an eight-second excerpt, rather than a broad claim about Luma’s product or Sagan’s scientific ideas.

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

Carl Sagan, in the clip identified in the estate’s complaint

The complaint targets use and implied backing

The complaint alleges copyright infringement, false endorsement and common-law unfair competition. Together, those claims challenge both the alleged use of the recording and the estate’s assertion that the advertisement positioned Sagan as a backer of Ray 3.14.

Luma denied the estate’s claims.

What the estate seeks

• An order barring Luma from using the advertisement containing Sagan’s voice.
• Damages that could include Luma’s profits, enhanced damages and attorney fees.

A February notice, then a large Facebook audience

The estate says it notified Luma of the alleged infringement in early February and that Luma said it would remove the Facebook post. It alleges the ad remained online and had received more than 2.7 million views by the filing date; the complaint calls the alleged failure to remove it willful and in bad faith.

Licensing history frames the dispute

Druyan-Sagan Associates has licensed Sagan’s voice and likeness for decades, including for Apple in 2017, Fiat Chrysler in 2019 and Netflix in 2025. Those campaigns establish that the estate has authorized commercial associations with Sagan before; its complaint treats Luma’s alleged use as unauthorized.

The estate says Luma’s ad eroded the exclusivity associated with Sagan’s branding. Its claimed harm therefore extends beyond this one promotion: it says an unapproved placement can weaken the value of the licensing choices it makes around Sagan’s voice and likeness.

A different voice dispute, with a different allegation

The case arrives after Scarlett Johansson threatened legal action against OpenAI in 2024 over the now-pulled Sky chatbot voice, which sounded like her voice. OpenAI acknowledged similarities but said Sky was not an imitation and belonged to a different professional actress using her natural speaking voice.