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A director who was charged with defrauding Netflix out of millions of dollars has been found guilty, Business Insider reports. Carl Rinsch, director of the 2013 Keanu Reeves movie 47 Ronin, now faces up to 90 years in prison.Rinsch began filming the project, White Horse (later renamed Conquest), around 2017. (Its premise: A scientist creates an organic humanoid species that turns on its creators.) The director completed six short-form episodes with his own money and investor funds. He then used those episodes to pitch studios for the money to complete the first season. Netflix ended up buying the rights for over $61 million.In 2020, after spending $44 million of Netflix's money on the series, Rinsch petitioned for another $11 million to complete the season. The company agreed.Then things got weird. Instead of using Netflixs investment to finish the series, Rinsch transferred the funds to personal accounts. Within two months, he lost over half of it on seven-figure stock trades. He spent the rest on cryptocurrency.Then, lo and behold, Rinsch got a second chance: The crypto trades turned a profit. Did the director seize the opportunity to right his ship and finish the series? No, he didn't. Instead, he used the crypto profits to go on a $10 million shopping spree. According to prosecutors, he spent nearly $4 million on furniture and antiques, $2.4 million on five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, almost $1 million on mattresses and linens and $650,000 on luxury watches and clothes.The series was never completed. By 2021, Netflix had canceled the project and written off over $55 million in costs.Rinsch's charges included one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. During the trial, he took the stand in his own defense, claiming that Netflix's millions were intended as reimbursement for the personal funds he invested in the series.After less than five hours of jury deliberation, Rinsch was found guilty on all seven counts. Although he could face up to 90 years, he's expected to receive a much shorter sentence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/47-ronin-director-found-guilty-of-defrauding-netflix-out-of-11-million-205519293.html?src=rss
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New York is taking steps to regulate the use of AI in the state's entertainment industry. NY State Governor Kathy Hochul passed two pieces of legislation on Thursday that forces certain productions to disclose the use of AI-generated performers, and defines rules around how someone's likeness can be used after their death.Assembly Bill A8887B, now known as S.8420-A, specifically covers the use of AI performers in advertisements. Per Hochul's announcement, the law "requires persons who produce or create an advertisement to identify if it includes AI generated synthetic performers." S.8391, meanwhile, "requires consent from heirs or executors if a person wishes to use the name, image, or likeness of an individual for commercial purposes after their death."By signing these bills today, we are enacting common sense laws that will ensure we are fully transparent when using images generated by artificial intelligence and also prevent the unauthorized commercial use of a deceased individuals name or likeness," Governor Hochul said in the announcement. "In New York State, we are setting a clear standard that keeps pace with technology, while protecting artists and consumers long after the credits roll."The use of AI performers and deepfakes made using the likenesses of actors were major focuses of the contract SAG-AFTRA won during its strike in 2023. The union ultimately agreed to allow for the use of things like digital replicas and AI-generated performers, with some key carveouts. For example, actors have to give their explicit consent for a digital replica to be made in their image. They also have to give their consent each time the replica is used and are supposed to receive a pre-negotiated rate every time the replica appears in a production.New York's new regulations put further safeguards around both practices, and join a growing collection of state AI laws that have passed or are currently being considered this year. Because of the close relationship between tech companies and the Trump administration, though, multiple attempts have been made to prevent such laws from existing at all. A decade-long ban on state AI regulation was included in early drafts of the Big Beautiful Bill, and David Sacks, venture capitalist and White House Special Advisor, has reportedly gone to great lengths to try and get President Donald Trump to sign an executive order banning state AI regulation. The effort may have been worth it: The president posted on Tuesday that he would sign a new executive order focused on AI this week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/new-york-passes-law-requiring-ads-to-disclose-the-use-of-ai-performers-202619826.html?src=rss
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Epic Games has spent a lot of time in court over the past several years, but it seems the company's litigious era may be winding down. The company announced today that its game Fortnite is back on the Google Play mobile store in the US. Fortnite's return to Android devices means Epic's popular hit is now available on just about every gaming platform following five years of arguing antitrust lawsuits. Epic took both Google and Apple to court over their policies for mobile payment systems back in 2020. The gaming company has been successful on the whole in its challenges, most recently reaching a settlement with Google in November. The companies agreed to a modified version of the order US District Judge James Donato originally placed on Google regarding fees charged to developers and handling of in-app payments and third-party billing systems. The same saga unfolded earlier this year with Apple. US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also sided with Epic Games in May, ordering Apple to stop collecting commissions on purchases made outside its own App Store. After a bit of back and forth, Fortnite finally returned to iOS in the US a few weeks later. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-back-on-the-google-play-store-195507458.html?src=rss
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