The production company behind "Blade Runner 2049" has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, accusing him of unauthorized use of copyrighted imagery from the film during a Tesla robotaxi event.
The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court by Alcon Entertainment, also lists Tesla and Warner Bros, BBC reported. Discovery stems from Musk's long-standing fascination with the film franchise, often citing it as inspiration for his own endeavors.
Alcon says it explicitly denied requests from Warner Bros. to use material from the film at Tesla's event, highlighting a contentious relationship between Musk's ventures and creative rights of filmmakers.
The suit claims that, despite Alcon's refusal, AI-generated imagery reminiscent of the film was showcased during the October 10 robotaxi launch event.
"Alcon refused all permissions and adamantly objected to defendants suggesting any affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company. Defendants then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway," the complaint said.
The complaint describes this as an "intentional" and "malicious" act to bolster Tesla's image and attract attention to its new autonomous vehicle. Alcon's suit claims the imagery was shown as part of a presentation slide and was displayed on "for 11 seconds" during a "livestream feed."
"During those 11 seconds, Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of BR2049 when he was supposed to be talking about his new product. He really had no credible reason. Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to BR2049's fictional future. But it all exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla's cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood," the complaint said.
Musk's actions are framed as copyright infringement and also as a strategic maneuver to align his brand with the movie's aesthetic. As the lawsuit unfolds, Alcon seeks damages for what it describes as "economic theft" and is working to keep its brand from being associated with Musk's controversial public persona.
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