Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind the acclaimed film “Blade Runner 2049,” has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit, lodged on October 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that AI-generated images depicting scenes from “Blade Runner 2049” were improperly used during the launch of Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxi, constituting copyright infringement.
In its complaint, Alcon asserted that it had consistently maintained that “Blade Runner 2049,” which features stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, has no affiliation with “Tesla, X, Musk, or any Musk-owned company.” The company cited Musk’s “massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior,” suggesting that his actions sometimes veer into hate speech, as a reason for their stance.
The lawsuit accuses Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery of several types of copyright infringement, including direct, vicarious, and contributory infringement, as well as false endorsement. Alcon seeks an injunction to prevent Musk, Tesla, Warner Bros., and any associated parties from further using, displaying, distributing, or selling elements of “Blade Runner 2049.” The suit also demands unspecified monetary damages, emphasizing the substantial financial impact of the alleged misappropriation.
“The financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial,” the lawsuit states. “Alcon has spent decades and hundreds of millions of dollars building the ‘BR2049’ brand into the famous mark that it now is. Prior actual ‘BR2049’ contracts linking automotive brands to the Picture have had dollar price tags in the eight figures.”
Representatives for Tesla, Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.
The controversy began on October 10, 2024, when Musk unveiled Tesla’s fully autonomous Robotaxi on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot in Burbank, California. According to Alcon, during Musk’s presentation, AI-generated images that mimicked scenes from “Blade Runner 2049” were displayed, despite Alcon having previously denied permission for their use. The presentation was livestreamed globally and was shared thousands of times, reaching millions of viewers.
Among the images shown were those that featured a “Ryan Gosling look-alike” and an iconic futuristic vehicle from the film. These images were used during an 11-second segment of the presentation where Musk attempted to explain their relevance. Alcon claims that the images were shown despite their explicit denial of permission just one day prior, when Warner Bros. Discovery contacted them seeking to use specific clips and images from the film.
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Alcon Co-CEO Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson reportedly refused the request, objecting to any affiliation of their film with Tesla or Musk. The lawsuit argues that neither Warner Bros. Pictures nor any other Warner Bros. entity had the rights to allow Tesla to utilize “Blade Runner 2049” elements in connection with the livestreamed event.
The lawsuit highlights that Musk was aware of Alcon’s objections and denials regarding the use of “Blade Runner 2049” imagery. “He thus personally knew and understood that to incorporate ‘BR2049’ into the event presentation at all would be improper and an unauthorized misappropriation of ‘BR2049’ goodwill,” the complaint states, accusing Musk of proceeding regardless.
One of the specific images in question is described in the lawsuit as a striking representation of the film’s protagonist, K, played by Gosling. This image, characterized as one of the film’s most iconic, was allegedly manipulated by AI to resemble scenes from “Blade Runner 2049,” thereby infringing on Alcon’s copyright.
Alcon further claims that Musk’s incorporation of the film’s imagery into the Tesla presentation was a calculated move intended to enhance the appeal of the event. The company argues that this use of “Blade Runner 2049” imagery could lead to confusion among the brand’s partners, particularly in light of ongoing projects, such as the upcoming “Blade Runner 2099” series for Amazon Prime, currently filming in Europe.
Additionally, Alcon points out that the contentious nature of Musk’s public persona complicates potential partnerships for brands associated with the “Blade Runner” franchise. The lawsuit notes that any brand considering an affiliation with Tesla must account for Musk’s controversial political and social views, which could deter potential collaborations.
