Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind Blade Runner 2049, has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), claiming that AI-generated imagery resembling scenes from the 2017 film was used without permission during Tesla’s We, Robot event, as The Verge reports.
The legal action, filed today, accuses the companies of copyright infringement for allegedly feeding stills from Blade Runner 2049 into an AI image generator to create promotional art that was prominently featured during the robotaxi presentation.
Alcon’s lawsuit asserts that Tesla and WBD had requested permission to use imagery from the film just hours before the event, held on October 10th at Warner Bros.’ lot in California. Although WBD holds some licensing rights for Blade Runner 2049, the event’s international livestream required Alcon’s direct approval, which was firmly denied. Alcon stated it did not want the film associated with Musk or Tesla due to concerns over Musk’s “highly politicized” and “capricious” behavior.
Despite this refusal, Tesla allegedly proceeded with the use of AI-generated images mimicking Blade Runner 2049. Musk referenced the Blade Runner franchise during the presentation while discussing futuristic concepts, and a livestream image showed a man in a duster jacket standing in a dystopian cityscape, evoking scenes from the movie.
Alcon also claims it was never informed about any agreements between Tesla and WBD regarding the use of Warner Bros.’ facilities and equipment for the event. The lawsuit suggests that the arrangement may have involved promotional obligations linking Tesla’s Cybercab with one of WBD’s films.
Though Alcon did not specify the damages it seeks, the suit emphasizes that all involved parties were aware of the unauthorized use of the imagery and acted improperly.
Featured Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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