- George Carlin's estate was locked in a legal battle until now
- An agreement was reached over artificial intelligence usage
- THIS is what the estate has signed on to
In January, Carlin's estate sued the podcast company, Dudesy, for recreating Carlin's iconic comedic style in an hour-long special titled 'George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead.' The settlement indicates that Dudesy is required to permanently remove the special and cannot use Carlin's image voice or likeness in the future without written consent from the estate.
Carlin's comedy is not to be tampered with
According to The Associated Press, the settlement agreement was approved by both sides and awaits a judge's approval. The outlet reported that the settlement reached the demands made by Carlin's estate in the Jan. 25 lawsuit.
Along with the removal of the special, the estate was also seeking unspecified damages, per the lawsuit.
"None of the Defendants had permission to use Carlin’s likeness for the AI-generated ‘George Carlin Special,’ nor did they have a license to use any of the late comedian’s copyrighted materials," the lawsuit stated.
Dudesy creates various AI-generated materials, but it is primarily a podcast hosted by comedian Will Sasso and writer Chad Kultgen. The company, as well as both men, were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs were listed as Carlin's estate as well as its executor, Jerold Hamza.
Following the settlement agreement, Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin, issued a statement.
"I am grateful that the defendants acted responsibly by swiftly removing the video they made," she said.
"While it is a shame that this happened at all, I hope this case serves as a warning about the dangers posed by AI technologies and the need for appropriate safeguards not just for artists and creatives, but every human on earth."
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Carlin, whose comedy career spanned over 50 years, died in 2008 of heart failure at the age of 71. In the special, Dudesy claims they used artificial intelligence to go over all of his recorded material and produce new jokes that he might make in today's world.
Kelly shared a statement with Fox News Digital after the lawsuit was filed. "My father was a legendary comedian and a once-in-a-lifetime talent whose legacy is the body of work that he left behind – his actual performances, albums and books."
