A production company behind Blade Runner 2049 has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that the carmaker used images from the film without authorization to create promotional materials via an AI image generator.
Alcon Entertainment, which brought the suit Monday in a California federal court, accuses Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk of exploiting the movie’s imagery to promote the company’s robotaxi during a high-profile unveiling event earlier in the month.
The lawsuit claims that Alcon does not want its Blade Runner 2049 brand associated with Musk due to his “extreme political and social views.”
This is particularly important to the producer as it works on potential partnerships for an upcoming TV series related to the film.
The complaint, which includes allegations of copyright infringement and false endorsement, also names Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as a co-defendant, accusing the media giant of facilitating the use of Blade Runner 2049 imagery in Tesla’s promotional materials.
Alcon’s complaint emphasizes that “any prudent brand considering a Tesla partnership must take into account Musk’s highly politicized and unpredictable behavior, which at times veers into hate speech.”
According to Alcon, the producer explicitly did not want Blade Runner 2049 associated with Musk.
The lawsuit claims that Tesla collaborated with WBD to host the robotaxi launch on a WBD studio lot.
During the event, Musk arrived onstage in a “cybercab” and displayed an image of a trench coat-wearing figure surveying a ruined cityscape, visually resembling a scene from Blade Runner 2049’s depiction of a desolate Las Vegas.
The image, bathed in orange light, featured the words “Not This” superimposed in the sky. Alcon alleges that this was an AI-generated replica of the movie’s iconic scene, created without licensing rights despite their refusal to grant permission.
Musk even referenced the film in his speech, stating, “You know, I love Blade Runner, but I don’t know if we want that future. I believe we want that duster he’s wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse.”
Alcon claims that Warner Bros. Discovery arranged for Tesla to use the studio lot, access to technology, and other resources for the robotaxi event, potentially including promotional tie-ins with WBD films.
While WBD holds limited clip licensing rights for Blade Runner 2049 as its domestic distributor, Alcon argues that the rights do not extend to Tesla’s livestreamed promotional event.
According to the lawsuit, Musk directly requested to use a still image from the film, prompting a WBD employee to urgently seek clearance from Alcon, as international rights were involved.
Alcon denied the request, which allegedly led to the creation of the AI-generated images used during the event.
The complaint further states that “all Defendants participated in the creation and display” of the disputed image at the event, which was held on a WBD-owned lot, using WBD technology, and facilitated by both Tesla and WBD staff, under Musk’s direction.
Alcon is seeking unspecified damages and a court order to prevent Tesla from further distributing the contested promotional materials.
