Producers of the film “Blade Runner 2049” have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, alleging copyright infringement, and imply that the billionaire is using his influence to harm their film by supporting Donald Trump. “Blade Runner 2049,” released in 2017, stars Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto and is a sequel to the 1982 classic “Blade Runner.”
Politico reports that Alcon Entertainment is claiming that it rejected Musk’s request to use material from “Blade Runner 2049” as part of the marketing event for the new Cybercab, but Tesla’s CEO allegedly wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Alcon refused all permissions and adamantly objected to defendants suggesting any affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company. Defendants then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway,” the complaint said.
According to the lawsuit, Musk’s unveiling of a robotaxi — a futuristic-looking vehicle with no pedals or a steering wheel that Tesla says drives itself — used AI-generated imagery mirroring scenes from the film, including one featuring a man resembling Hollywood star Ryan Gosling, who plays the main character K in the film.
Alcon admit their partisan disdain for Musk when they acknowledge that they denied his request due to “his highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech.” Musk has repeatedly expressed support for Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential race, campaigned for him and most recently announced $1 million cash incentives to swing state voters in a bid to galvanize Republicans.
Musk has long referenced the “Blade Runner” sequel as an inspiration for his Tesla technology.
The Hollywood Reporter shared details of the showcase where the alleged infringement took place:
Tesla partnered with Warners for the robotaxi showcase, which was done from a studio lot, the lawsuit says. At the presentation, Musk reached the stage in a “cybercab” before showing an image of a male figure wearing a trench coat as he surveys the abandoned ruins of a city bathed in a misty, orange light. In the upper left corner, the words “Not This” appear superimposed on part of the sky.
This image was “clearly intended to read visually” as an actual still from Blade Runner 2049′s iconic sequence of Ryan Gosling’s character exploring a ruined Las Vegas. Alcon claims it was created by copying images from the film and prompting an AI image generator for a replica over the company’s clear denial of licensing rights.
Musk directly referenced the Denis Villeneuve sci-fi epic in his remarks. “You know, I love Blade Runner, but I don’t know if we want that future,” he said. “I believe we want that duster he’s wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse.”
The lawsuit cites an agreement, the details of which are unknown to Alcon, for Warners to lease or license studio lot space, access and other materials to Tesla for the event. Alcon alleges that the deal included promotional elements allowing Tesla to affiliate its products with WBD movies.
In a separate claim earlier this month, the director of sci-fi movie “I, Robot” Alex Proyas accused Musk of copying his designs. “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” he posted on X.
Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please? #ElonMusk #Elon_Musk pic.twitter.com/WPgxHevr6E
— Alex Proyas (@alex_proyas) October 13, 2024
Elon Musk has not yet responded to the lawsuit. The producers of “Blade Runner 2049” are seeking monetary damages and an injunction to prevent Musk from further using any similar imagery. The lawsuit is expected to be heard in a California court later this year.
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