Hollywood sues Musk over ‘Blade Runner’ images at robotaxi event

Hollywood filmmaker Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon Musk, saying Tesla used footage inspired by the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049 at a recent event, even after permission was denied.

The production company, which also financed and produced films such as The blind sidefiled a lawsuit accusing Musk of copyright infringement, saying he specifically refused to grant permission to use the images. Alcon also alleges that Tesla did not ask for permission until the day of the event, which was held on October 10th. Musk, Tesla and Warner Brothers Discovery Inc, which hosted the event at a studio, are listed as defendants.

The much-anticipated Cybercab opening earlier this month was dubbed “We, Robot” – likely in reference to a book by Isaac Asimov with a similar name (I, Robot). Tesla unveiled a fully autonomous vehicle, without controls such as steering wheel and pedals.

It featured images inspired by Blade Runner 2049which features driverless vehicles. The presentation included a slide with an AI-generated image similar to a scene from the film, where Ryan Gosling’s character looks out over an apocalyptic world.

Tesla, Musk and Warner Brothers Discovery did not immediately respond to a Bloomberg request for comment.

Musk has long referenced Blade runnera classic 1982 science fiction film about a dystopian future and environmental collapse. When talking about Tesla’s Cybertruck, he said he wanted to design “a really futuristic cyberpunk, Blade runner truck”, and in 2019 shared a link to the film’s opening credits. Blade Runner 2049 it was a sequel to the original film.

During this month’s keynote, Musk talked about how he “loves” Blade Runner, but added that he’s not sure if that’s a world he’d like to live in.

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Alcon said Tesla’s actions were “clearly bad faith and an intentionally malicious move” and that adding the images was intended to make the event “more appealing to a global audience” by using the Blade Runner brand to help sell vehicles. Tesla.

The producer said it denied the request due to concerns that Musk’s “highly politicized behavior” could harm the brand. The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has been increasingly outspoken about political issues and is among presidential candidate Donald Trump’s top donors.

Alcon doesn’t want Blade Runner 2049 be affiliated with Musk, Tesla or any of their companies, the lawsuit stated. It added that the images may cause confusion as Alcon is in talks with other automotive brands for its upcoming Amazon show, Blade Runner 2099.

The film’s “false affiliation” with Tesla is now “irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry, all as Defendants knew would inevitably happen, and amplifying the risks of harm and confusion,” according to the lawsuit.

“It all gave off the (odor) of a poorly invented excuse to link Tesla’s cyber taxi with strong Hollywood brands, at a time when Tesla and Musk are at odds with Hollywood,” Alcon said in the lawsuit.

Musk has increasingly distanced himself from California in recent years, leaving the state and moving Tesla’s headquarters to Texas.

Blade Runner 2049 was directed by Denis Villeneuve and grossed more than $275 million.

Alcon is not alone in rejecting Tesla’s Hollywood references. In a social media post earlier this month, I, robot Director Alex Proyas also posted side-by-side images from his film and images from the Tesla robotaxi event, saying, “Hey Elon, can I get my designs back please?”

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