Arnold Schwarzenegger launches £7m lawsuit against Russian robot company for using his likeness
Arnold Schwarzenegger has trained the eye of the Terminator on a Russian robotics company, which has been using his famous face to promote one of its products.
The 72-year-old actor has launched a $10m (£7.7m) lawsuit against Promobot, according to a report from TMZ.
Read more: Patrick Schwarzenegger says he was scared of his father
Schwarzenegger’s suit alleges that he has become the "unwilling face" of the Robo-C — a service robot which can be customised to look like a person of the owner’s choice.
The Schwarzenegger Robo-C has appeared at numerous technology events, and the star says he was even asked to pose with the model at an event last year.
Schwarzenegger’s attorney reportedly sent a cease and desist letter in January, only for the robot to appear again at the New York Toy Fair last month, sparking the lawsuit.
As well as the aforementioned payout, Schwarzenegger is seeking punitive damages, any profits made from the robot featuring his image and attorney fees.
He also demands that the company stop using his likeness.
This isn’t the first time Arnie’s robotic head has appeared in the wild, with an animatronic Schwarzenegger appearing in a bizarre series of PPI adverts in 2017.
The pricey campaign cost £42m, with the star’s voice provided by impressionist and comedian David Brent — but not that one.
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The Robo-C costs between $20,000 (£15,500) and $50,000 (£38,700) depending on the customer’s preferences when it comes to customisation.
Promobot claims it can display more than 600 different facial expressions.
Schwarzenegger reprised his most famous role as the T-800 for last year’s Terminator: Dark Fate — the sixth entry in the Terminator franchise.
The movie premiered to mixed reviews and a disappointing worldwide box office haul of $261m (£202m) from a huge $185m (£143m) budget.
Read more: James Cameron teases more Terminator movies
He will be seen next alongside Jackie Chan and the late Rutger Hauer in Chinese movie The Iron Mask and is portraying the President in Kung Fury 2.
The latter is the sequel to director David Sandberg’s crowdfunded short film, which has a cult following online.
