‘Blade Runner 2049’ studio sues Tesla over AI-generated images

[Jack Aylmer]

ALCON ENTERTAINMENT, THE COMPANY BEHIND BLADE RUNNER 2049, FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST TESLA, ELON MUSK, AND WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY, ACCUSING THEM OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT FOR USING AI-GENERATED IMAGES RESEMBLING SCENES FROM THE FILM TO PROMOTE TESLA’S NEW AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE, THE “CYBERCAB,” — A FULLY AUTONOMOUS ROBOTAXI THE COMPANY AIMS TO LAUNCH BY 2027.

THE LAWSUIT, FILED IN CALIFORNIA FEDERAL COURT, CLAIMS THAT DESPITE ALCON’S REFUSAL TO GRANT PERMISSION, TESLA USED VISUALS AT AN OCTOBER 10 EVENT THAT CLOSELY MIRRORED ICONIC MOMENTS FROM BLADE RUNNER 2049 …

…INCLUDING AN AI-CREATED IMAGE FEATURING A RYAN GOSLING LOOK-ALIKE IN A FUTURISTIC SETTING.

ALCON ARGUES THE UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THE IMAGERY WAS INTENDED TO ENHANCE TESLA’S GLOBAL APPEAL BY FALSELY ASSOCIATING ITS PRODUCT WITH THE WELL-KNOWN BLADE RUNNER FRANCHISE.

THE LAWSUIT ALSO CLAIMS THIS MISUSE COULD HARM ALCON’S NEGOTIATIONS FOR PARTNERSHIPS RELATED TO THE UPCOMING BLADE RUNNER 2099 TELEVISION SERIES, WHICH IS IN DEVELOPMENT FOR AMAZON PRIME.

ALCON ALSO RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT BEING ASSOCIATED WITH MUSK DUE TO HIS CONTROVERSIAL PUBLIC CONDUCT, WHICH THEY DESCRIBE AS “HIGHLY POLITICIZED AND ARBITRARY.” THE COMPLAINT HIGHLIGHTS MUSK’S DIVISIVE STATEMENTS AS A KEY REASON ALCON DENIED THE INITIAL REQUEST TO USE THE FILM’S IMAGERY.

DURING THE EVENT, MUSK EXPRESSED HIS ADMIRATION FOR THE BLADE RUNNER FRANCHISE AS THE IMAGE APPEARED ON SCREEN.

ELON MUSK

TESLA CEO

“So you see a lot of sci-fi movies where uh the future is dark and dismal where uh it’s not a future you want to be in so you know. Like, I love Blade Runner but uh I don’t know if we want that future I think we want that uh that duster he’s wearing but uh but but not but not the bleak apocalypse.”

ALCON’S LAWSUIT REFERS TO THIS USE AS ‘MASSIVE ECONOMIC THEFT,’ HIGHLIGHTING THE SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE ALLEGED INFRINGEMENT.

WHILE ALCON HAS NOT SPECIFIED THE DAMAGES SOUGHT, THE COMPANY STRESSES THE FINANCIAL HARM CAUSED BY THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BLADE RUNNER 2049 AND TESLA’S CYBERCAB PROMOTION.

TESLA, MUSK, AND WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY HAVE NOT YET RESPONDED TO THE LAWSUIT.

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