'Blade Runner 2049' producer sues Tesla, Warner Bros over AI images at Cybercab event

Alcon Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery, accusing them of improperly using imagery tied to the film Blade Runner 2049 to promote Tesla’s new autonomous Cybercab. The lawsuit, filed in California’s federal court, alleges violations of U.S. copyright law and false endorsement, claiming the companies falsely suggested an association between the film studio and Tesla’s brand.

The legal filing stems from Tesla’s October 10 Cybercab launch event, which featured visuals strikingly similar to the sci-fi aesthetic of Blade Runner 2049, a film distributed by Warner Bros and produced by Alcon. According to the lawsuit, Alcon had previously denied Warner Bros’ request to use Blade Runner 2049 imagery for the event. Instead, Tesla allegedly used AI-generated images that mirrored the look of the movie, leading to Alcon’s claims of copyright infringement.

“Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk’s massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behaviour, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account,” the lawsuit stated.

Alcon’s 2017 movie Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, won two Academy Awards and served as the long-awaited sequel to the original Blade Runner from 1982. In a statement, Alcon expressed concerns that the defendant’s use of the film’s likeness could confuse its brand partners, particularly as the company is working on its upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series for Amazon Prime.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, though Alcon noted it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into building the Blade Runner 2049 brand, stating that the financial impact of the alleged misappropriation was “substantial.”