Alcon Entertainment, the esteemed production house behind the captivating cyberpunk masterpiece "Blade Runner 2049," has launched a legal assault against tech juggernaut Tesla, accusing the electric carmaker of leveraging the film's iconic imagery through an AI-driven image synthesis to craft unauthorized promotional materials. The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court on Monday, targets Elon Musk and his forward-thinking automotive empire, alleging the duo has unlawfully harnessed the film's brand power to showcase their futuristic robotaxi during a lavish reveal event earlier this month.
At the heart of Alcon's grievances lies a profound desire to preserve "Blade Runner 2049's" distinct identity, fearing association with Musk's "extreme political and social views" might jeopardize ongoing negotiations with potential partners for an upcoming TV series. The complaint, a stinging indictment of copyright infringement and false endorsement, also casts aspersions on Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), accusing them of abetting this illicit partnership.
The lawsuit paints a vivid picture of Musk's stage entrance in a "cybercab," followed by the unveiling of a haunting image: a silhouetted figure clad in a trench coat, surveying a desolate cityscape bathed in an eerie orange glow, with the words "Not This" eerily superimposed on the skyline. This visual masterpiece, Alcon contends, was a brazen attempt to evoke the film's iconic sequence where Ryan Gosling's character explores the ruins of Las Vegas. The production company asserts that the image was crafted by unlawfully repurposing footage from "Blade Runner 2049" through an AI image generator, despite their categorical denial of licensing rights.
Musk's own remarks, which explicitly referenced the Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi opus, further underscore the intentional echo. "I love 'Blade Runner,' but I don't know if we want that future," he mused, hinting at his preference for the character's duster over the film's dystopian apocalypse.
The lawsuit delves into a mysterious agreement between Tesla and WBD, granting Tesla access to studio facilities, materials, and potentially promotional synergies with WBD's film library. It alleges that WBD facilitated a promotional link between Tesla's products and its own movies, including "Blade Runner 2049," though Alcon maintains it was kept in the dark until the fateful unveiling day.
When Musk expressed his desire to link the robotaxi with the film, a flurry of emergency clearance requests ensued, with Alcon firmly rejecting the proposition. In response, Tesla allegedly turned to AI-generated imagery, creating a stir among the defendants.
"With the complicity of all involved, from the depths of WBD's studios to the glow of their video screens, this unauthorized imagery was born, orchestrated under Musk's watchful eye," the complaint laments. Alcon seeks substantial damages and a court order prohibiting Tesla from further disseminating the controversial promotional materials, determined to safeguard the integrity of "Blade Runner 2049's" legacy.
