Director James Cameron and The Walt Disney Company have been sued for unauthorized use of an Indigenous actress’ likeness without her knowledge and consent.
Kilcher also names Lightstorm Entertainment and multiple visual effects companies in the lawsuit. Popular on Variety
“What Cameron did was not inspiration, it was extraction,” said Arnold P. Peter of Peter Law Group, lead counsel for Kilcher. “He took the unique biometric facial features of a 14-year-old Indigenous girl, ran them through an industrial production process, and generated billions of dollars in profit without ever once asking her permission. That is not filmmaking. That is theft.”
The complaint also claims the defendants violated California’s recently enacted deepfake pornography statute.
“It is deeply disturbing to learn that my face, as a 14-year-old girl, was taken and used without my knowledge or consent to help create a commercial asset that has generated enormous value for Disney and Cameron,” said Kilcher.
“The complaint describes a deliberate analog-to-digital creative process that misappropriated Ms. Kilcher’s identity,” said Asher Hoffman, co-counsel for Kilcher.
The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, disgorgement of profits attributable to the use of Kilcher’s likeness, injunctive relief, and corrective public disclosure.
Variety has reached out to Disney and Cameron for comment.
Source: variety.com