Elon Musk sued over 'Blade Runner' imagery used during robotaxi unveiling

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By Kara Carlson

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

The production company, which has also financed and produced films such as The Blind Side, filed a lawsuit accusing Musk of copyright infringement, saying it specifically declined to grant permission to use the images. Alcon also alleges Tesla didn’t reach out for permission until the day of the event, which was held on Oct. 10. Musk, Tesla and Warner Brothers Discovery Inc., which hosted the event in a studio lot, are listed as defendants. 

The long-anticipated Cybercab unveiling earlier this month was dubbed “We, Robot” — likely in reference to a book by Isaac Asimov with a similar name, or a 2004 film. Tesla unveiled a fully autonomous vehicle, which lacks controls such as a steering wheel and pedals. 

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

Tesla, Musk and Warner Brothers Discovery didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit.

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

During the presentation this month, Musk talked about how he “loves” Blade Runner, but added he’s not sure it’s a world he would want to live in. 

Alcon said Tesla’s actions are “clearly all a bad faith and intentionally malicious gambit,” and that adding the imagery was intended to make the event “more attractive to the global audience” while using the Blade Runner brand to help sell Tesla vehicles. 

The production company said it denied the request due to concerns that Musk’s “highly politicized behavior” could damage the brand. The billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX has been increasingly outspoken on political issues, and counts himself as a top donor to presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Alcon doesn’t want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla or any of his companies, it said in the lawsuit. It added the images could cause confusion, since Alcon is in talks with other automotive brands for its upcoming Amazon show, Blade Runner 2099. 

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

“It all exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla’s cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood,” Alcon said in the suit. 

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 isn’t the only one to push back on Tesla’s Hollywood references. In a social media post earlier this month, I, Robot director Alex Proyas also posted side by side images of his movie and Tesla robotaxi event images, saying “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?”