Elon Musk sued by "Blade Runner 2049" producers over Robotaxi imagery
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Elon Musk in Krakow, Poland, earlier this year. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Elon Musk, Tesla and Warner Brothers Discovery are being sued by "Blade Runner 2049" production firm Alcon Entertainment for alleged copyright infringement, which accused them on Monday of "a massive economic theft."
The big picture: Alcon alleges the defendants used an AI-generated image like the one from "Blade Runner 2049" to promote Tesla's robotaxi concept at Warner Bros. Discovery's studio lot in Burbank, California, earlier this month after it denied their request to use "an iconic still" from the 2017 movie at the event.
Zoom in: The production company alleges in the suit, filed on Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, that the event used an image that was reminiscent of a scene involving Ryan Gosling's character looking into an apocalyptic world in the sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic "Blade Runner."
- It was displayed for 11 seconds as Musk mentioned "Blade Runner" and "a specifically 'apocalyptic' future" as he touted the Tesla Cybercab, which he said would go into production before 2027. These are "specifically evocative of BR2049, and not of the 1982 Picture," the suit states.
Driving the news: Alcon said it did not want to be affiliated with Musk or Tesla due to the billionaire's "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech.
- "If, as here, a company or its principals do not actually agree with Musk's extreme political and social views, then a potential brand affiliation with Tesla is even more issuefraught."
- The company said the "false affiliation" between "Blade Runner 2049" and Tesla "is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry, all as Defendants knew would inevitably happen, and amplifying the damage and confusion risks."
Context: Republican mega-donor Musk is spending this month rallying for former President Trump after appearing onstage with him and has stepped up his political efforts by offering $1 million giveaways to voters in Pennsylvania.
The intrigue: The lawsuit notes that Warner Bros. Pictures was Alcon's domestic distributor for the 2017 theatrical release of the movie and "still has some domestic distribution rights, but not without limitations and restrictions."
- Representatives for Tesla, Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.
Go deeper: Tesla's much-hyped robotaxi event fails to impress
