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On Tue, 22 Oct, 12:06 AM UTC
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[1]
'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Musk over 'robotaxi' imagery
The Hollywood company behind "Blade Runner 2049" sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement Monday, accusing him of illegally using imagery from that film to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi." Alcon Entertainment, a movie and television company backed by FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, saying Alcon had denied a request by Musk and the companies to use imagery from "Blade Runner 2049" as part of an Oct. 10 marketing event on the Warner lot. "He did it anyway," the suit says. Musk's livestreamed presentation -- a grand unveiling of a car that Tesla says will be able to drive itself -- did not use exact "Blade Runner 2049" images, according to the complaint. Rather, the event showcased "AI-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike," Alcon said. The lawsuit called the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to make the event "more attractive to a global audience and to misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas." Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. As described by Alcon, the episode bears a striking resemblance to one earlier this year involving the actress Scarlett Johansson and the artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. Days before it demonstrated a new virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Johansson license her voice for it. She declined. Despite her refusal, OpenAI used a voice called "Sky" that sounded "eerily similar to mine," Johansson said at the time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to copy her voice, but pulled "Sky" as a voice option, saying in a blog post that "AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice." "Blade Runner 2049," a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. in 2017. The movie stars Gosling as a bioengineered human living in a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car. Alcon denied a request to allow Musk to use imagery from the film because of his "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," according to the complaint. Alcon also said it was in talks with other automotive brands for partnerships on an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099," and didn't want to derail those negotiations. Now, Alcon said in its suit, "the false affiliation between 'Blade Runner 2049' and Tesla has been irreparably tangled in the global media tapestry, as all defendants knew would inevitably happen."
[2]
'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Sue Elon Musk Over 'Robotaxi' Imagery
The Hollywood company behind "Blade Runner 2049" sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement on Monday, accusing him of illegally using imagery from that film to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi." Alcon Entertainment, a movie and television company backed by the FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, saying that Alcon had denied a request by Mr. Musk and the companies to use imagery from "Blade Runner 2049" as part of an Oct. 10 marketing event on the Warner lot. "He did it anyway," the suit says. Mr. Musk's live-streamed presentation -- a grand unveiling of a car that Tesla says will be able to drive itself -- did not use exact "Blade Runner 2049" images, according to the complaint. Rather, the event showcased "A.I.-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike," Alcon said. The lawsuit called the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to make the event "more attractive to a global audience and to misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas." Mr. Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. As described by Alcon, the episode bears a striking resemblance to one earlier this year involving the actress Scarlett Johansson and the artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI. Days before it demonstrated a new virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Ms. Johansson license her voice for it. She declined. Despite her refusal, OpenAI used a voice called "Sky" that sounded "eerily similar to mine," Ms. Johansson said at the time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to copy her voice, but pulled "Sky" as a voice option, saying in a blog post that "A.I. voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice." "Blade Runner 2049," a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. in 2017. The movie stars Mr. Gosling as a bioengineered human living in a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car. Alcon denied a request to allow Mr. Musk to use imagery from the film because of his "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," according to the complaint. Alcon also said it was in talks with other automotive brands for partnerships on an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099," and didn't want to derail those negotiations. Now, Alcon said in its suit, "the false affiliation between 'Blade Runner 2049' and Tesla has been irreparably tangled in the global media tapestry, as all defendants knew would inevitably happen."
[3]
Elon Musk, Warner Bros. Sued by Blade Runner 2049 Producers Over AI-Generated Robotaxi Image It Says Was Stolen From the Movie - IGN
Alcon Entertainment claims it refused Tesla permission to use Blade Runner 2049 imagery, so it used AI instead. Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. for what it claims is "massive economic theft" after Musk used what looked like an AI-generated image reminiscent of Blade Runner 2049 to promote Tesla's new self-driving car, the Robotaxi. The complaint refers to an image that appears during Musk's keynote, which is meant to show how Tesla is trying to avoid a dystopian future like the one depicted in Denis Villeneuve's 2017 sequel. Musk even references Blade Runner when talking about the image, saying, "We see a lot of sci-fi movies were the future is dark, abysmal... it's not a future you want to be in. I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if I want the future. Maybe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." Alcon, the production company behind Blade Runner 2049, claims in its complaint that Tesla asked for permission to use an "iconic still image" from the movie during its event, but that it refused permission. It then claims that Tesla decided to use AI to create a fake image based on the movie anyway. "During those 11 seconds, Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of BR 2049 when he was supposed to be talking about his new product. He really had no credible reason," the complaint reads. "Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to BR2049's fictional future. But 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. Which of course is exactly what it was." The complaint goes on to claim that contracts linking Blade Runner 2049 and automotive brands have had "dollar price tags in the eight figures," calling Musk himself "problematic" while accusing him of "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior." Musk has yet to respond to the lawsuit. In addition to Musk himself, the complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, the latter because it owns the lot on which the Robotaxi keynote was delivered. Alcon is seeking damages due to what it says is copyright infringement and false endorsement. As for the Robotaxi (or Cybercab) revealed on October 10, it's set to be released sometime before 2027. "I think it's going to be a glorious future," Musk says.
[4]
'Blade Runner 2049' Studio Sues Elon Musk for Copyright Infringement Over AI Images - Decrypt
Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon Musk's Tesla for copyright infringement, claiming that the car manufacturer used images from the 2017 sci-fi film "Blade Runner 2049" without the production company's permission. According to the lawsuit, filed today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, CA, Alcon alleges that Tesla used these images to generate new visuals for the unveiling of its self-driving Cybercab earlier this month. A day before the Cybercab event, Telsa and Warner Bros. Discovery -- which released the Blade Runner sequel and was hosting the event on its Burbank lot -- asked Alcon Entertainment for permission to use images from the film. Alcon refused to cooperate due to concerns about being associated with Musk, whom they described as "problematic," Tesla, or any of his other companies. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the attorneys wrote in their complaint. However, after Alcon refused to allow Blade Runner 2049 images to be used for the October 10 event, AI image generators were used to create similar images for the event, Alcon's lawyers contend. (Warner Bros. Discovery was also named as a defendant in Alcon's lawsuit.) During the livestream event on X, Musk made references to Blade Runner, stating that Tesla envisions an exciting future of transportation, in contrast to the bleak, dystopian visions depicted in science fiction like the Bladerunner series. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," he said. "I think we want that duster he is wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was BR2049-a film which just happens to feature a strikingly-designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story," the studio's attorneys said in its filing today. A vocal supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Musk has been campaigning hard for the Republican nominee, appearing in public at rallies and deluging users on his social network, X, with his pro-Trump tweets. Last month, Trump even suggested that Musk would have a place in his administration cleaning up bureaucratic inefficiencies. Alcon is seeking unspecified damages, arguing that the misuse of copyrighted materials has financially damaged their ongoing negotiations and put future Blade Runner projects, including automotive partnerships and a television series, at risk. "The false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry," Alcon Entertainment said. "If, as here, a company or its principals do not actually agree with Musk's extreme political and social views, then a potential brand affiliation with Tesla is even more issue-fraught."
[5]
Blade Runner 2049 producers sue Elon Musk over AI art at robotaxi event
Elon Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery have been accused of violating the copyright of the film Blade Runner 2049 during an event where Tesla promoted its robotaxis. The 2017 dystopian film's producer, Alcon Entertainment, claimed in an Oct. 21 suit in a Los Angeles federal court that Tesla, Musk and Warner Bros. first sought permission to use a still image from the film, which it denied. Tesla wanted the image to hock its "Cybercab" -- a fully autonomous car that will operate as a taxi -- in an Oct. 10 event hosted at Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. Alcon said it knocked back the request as it wanted to distance the film from "Musk's extreme political and social views." But it alleged the trio "then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway." It's the latest legal dispute over AI imagery and the copyright-infringing material that AI firms have been allegedly using to train their models. It claimed the "lightly stylized fake screen still" from its movie -- depicting a man in a coat gazing at a ruined city -- was shown in Musk's presentation at the event for 11 seconds. "During those 11 seconds, Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of [Blade Runner 2049] when he was supposed to be talking about his new product," Alcon wrote in its complaint. "He really had no credible reason." In its claims against Warner Bros. Discovery, Alcon said the firm has "some limited and ongoing" rights to Blade Runner 2049 but "not at all for a livestream television feed." Alcon claimed the use of the AI image was "a massive economic theft," and the market value of the brand affiliation is "at least in the six figures and possibly much higher," but didn't specify how much it was seeking in damages. Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alcon also alleged using the image "muddied the waters" for car brand partnerships it's exploring for an upcoming Blade Runner TV series and took issue that the film might now be linked with "the problematic Musk himself." "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," Alcon said in the complaint. Musk has recently become an outspoken advocate of -- and has appeared at rallies for -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Others have accused Musk of allowing misinformation to spread on X, while he's also accused of peddling conspiracy theories and making incendiary comments on his platform. Related: Researchers hack AI-enabled robots to cause 'real world' harm "If, as here, a company or its principals do not actually agree with Musk's extreme political and social views, then a potential brand affiliation with Tesla is even more issue-fraught," it added. "Alcon did not want [Blade Runner 2049] to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons." Alcon speculated that the agreement between Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery -- which it hasn't been made privy to -- included an element requiring Tesla to affiliate its Cybercab with Warner Bros. films. At Tesla's event, Musk promised that the Cybercab would be available "before 2027" and cost under $30,000. He's promised for years that Tesla would make a car that could drive on its own, but none of the car maker's vehicles can operate without a human present.
[6]
'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Sue Elon Musk Over AI Art in Cybercab Presentation
The much-hyped event, which also included plans for a larger autonomous "robovan" and remotely operated Optimus robots serving drinks, contained few specifics about when any of these products would become a reality. Tesla staged all this on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, in hopes of leveraging some movie magic, but investors were unimpressed, and Tesla stock fell nearly 9 percent the next day. However, Alcon's suit alleges, Musk went a step too far in trying to burnish his pitch with Hollywood's help. Ahead of the event, according to the complaint, the defendants asked for permission to use a visually arresting still from Blade Runner 2049 -- one prominent in the marketing material for the 2017 blockbuster. Alcon refused, and "adamantly objected" to any association between their film and Musk or his companies. In place of an authorized image, Alcon claims, Musk instead used an apparently derivative, AI-generated picture while still referencing the film franchise by name. The original shows the character K, played by Ryan Gosling, walking from his autonomous flying "spinner" car toward the ruins of a Las Vegas destroyed years earlier by a nuclear dirty bomb. Tesla's version similarly depicts a man in a duster coat looking out over a desolate, orange cityscape. (Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.) Early in his cybercab keynote, Musk noted: "You see a lot of sci-fi movies where the future is dark and dismal, where -- it's not a future you want to be in. So, you know, like, I love Blade Runner." That's when the AI rendering appeared on the screen. "I don't know if we want that future," Musk continued. "Maybe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse." It's not the first time Musk has sought to link Tesla products to the neo-noir aesthetic of Blade Runner. In July, he took to his X account to share an AI-generated image of Tesla's glitch-plagued Cybertruck in a rain-soaked urban streetscape reminiscent of the original 1982 film and its legacy sequel. In a post last year, he described the vehicle as "an armored personnel carrier from the future -- what Bladerunner would have driven," apparently under the mistaken impression that there's a character in the movies named "Bladerunner." These passing references seemingly did not rise to the level of potential copyright infringement. But the cybercab unveiling that featured an apparent mimicry of a well-known Blade Runner 2049 shot has been viewed more than 10 million times, according to metrics on the X stream, and 2 million times on YouTube. In displaying the image, Alcon's suit contends, "Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of [Blade Runner 2049] when he was supposed to be talking about his new product. He really had no credible reason. Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to [the film]'s fictional future. But 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. Which of course is exactly what it was." Alcon's filing further argues that Musk specifically wanted to connect Blade Runner and the cybercab in viewers' minds because Tesla's proposed design is a sleek two-door autonomous car, and Gosling's character in 2049 pilots a two-door flying autonomous vehicle. The story also deals with advanced artificial intelligence in the form of humanoid "replicants," and Tesla has recently sought to reposition itself as a robotics and AI company. Notably, Alcon's claims go beyond the typical protection of copyright (they report that Tesla's actions could interfere with branding opportunities for an upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV series) and touch on the question of reputation damage: "Beyond these more ordinary commercial issues, there is the problematic Musk himself," reads the complaint. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account." It was for these reasons, the plaintiffs state, that they had denied Tesla permission to use their materials in the first place. While he has yet to take legal action himself, filmmaker Alex Proyas, director of the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, loosely based on the stories of Isaac Asimov, also criticized Musk for what he saw as imitations of his designs from the movie. "Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?" he posted to X days after the cybercab presentation, sharing side-by-side comparisons of the movie's robots and Tesla's Optimus units, as well as vehicles that bear a resemblance to Tesla's proposed robovan and cybercab. The event itself was titled "We, Robot."
[7]
Tesla and Elon Musk sued over use of AI image at Cybercab event | Digital Trends
Tesla's recent We, Robot presentation has run into trouble, with one of the production companies behind Blade Runner 2049 suing Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, for copyright infringement. Tesla used the glitzy October 10 event to unveil its Cybercab and Robovan, and also to showcase the latest version of its Optimus humanoid robot. Recommended Videos Hosted by Musk at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Studios in Hollywood, the presentation included imagery that Blade Runner 2049 production company Alcon Entertainment alleges Tesla created using generative-AI and stills from the seven-year-old sci-fi movie. Alcon says in the lawsuit that just hours before the event kicked off on the evening of October 10, Tesla and WBD asked for permission to use "an iconic still image" from the movie. Alcon quickly rejected the request. The company explained its decision in the suit, saying: "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," adding that "Alcon did not want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons." Following the rejection, Tesla is accused of then feeding imagery from Blade Runner 2049 into an AI image generator to create a still image that appeared on screen for 10 seconds (see it in the video below) during the We, Robot live stream. With the image showing, Musk even referenced the movie franchise, adding that he's hoping for a "fun, exciting" future rather than the dystopian one depicted in so many sci-fi films. We, Robot | Tesla Robotaxi Unveil Alcon also said in its suit that it wasn't surprising that Musk referenced Blade Runner 2049 during the We, Robot event, as the movie features a "strikingly designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car." The accused parties have yet to comment publicly on Alcon's lawsuit, and it's not yet clear what level of damages the production company is seeking.
[8]
'Blade Runner 2049' producer sues Elon Musk, Warner Bros. Discovery over Tesla Cybercab launch
By Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times The Tribune Content Agency A Los Angeles-based production company has sued Tesla, its Chief Executive Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging that the electric vehicle maker ripped off scenes from the 2017 film "Blade Runner 2049" to promote its new robotaxi. Alcon Entertainment, which produced the film for Warner Bros., filed the copyright infringement lawsuit Monday in California. The complaint accuses the Hollywood studio, Tesla and Musk of using artificial intelligence to generate an image resembling scenes from "Blade Runner 2049," which Musk presented during a launch event for Tesla's Cybercab on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. The livestreamed event took place Oct. 10 - shortly after Alcon said it denied a request from Warner Bros. Discovery to use a production photo from the sci-fi film to promote Tesla's new product. "Alcon refused all permissions and adamantly objected to Defendants suggesting any affiliation between ['Blade Runner 2049'] and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company," the 52-page lawsuit reads. "Defendants then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway." Representatives for New York City-based Warner Bros. Discovery and Austin-based Tesla did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' requests for comment. The production photo Warner Bros. Discovery asked to use depicts "Blade Runner 2049" star Ryan Gosling walking away from the camera across a desolate, dystopian landscape reduced to rubble and reddish dirt. Gosling wears a brown trench coat in character as a futuristic bounty hunter while approaching a city skyline shrouded in thick, orange smog. The image from the Cybercab livestream shows a man - with a build and haircut similar to Gosling's - wearing a brown trench coat and standing on red dirt while overlooking a city skyline enveloped in a thick, orange haze. During the Cybercab launch party, Musk also allegedly referenced "Blade Runner 2049" while introducing the vehicle to a global audience. A lot is riding on the Cybercab for Musk, who has been selling unfulfilled promises of autonomous vehicles for years. Although Tesla's sales of its signature electric cars stumbled early in 2024, the company has an $800-billion market capitalization built largely on the expectation that it will be able to overtake competitors to dominate the burgeoning robotaxi market. Whether Tesla is anywhere close to completing its push to develop the technology needed to do so, however, remains an open question. "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was ['Blade Runner 2049']," the complaint reads, "a film which just happens to feature a strikingly-designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story." Alcon Entertainment is demanding a jury trial and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. -------- (Times staff writer Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report.) -------
[9]
Blade Runner 2049 producers sue Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner over AI-generated image used in Cybercab promotional event
Alcon Entertainment refused to grant permission to use Blade Runner 2049 images in the event, so Tesla used an AI-generated fake instead. Blade Runner 2049 production company Alcon Entertainment is suing Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery over their alleged use of AI-generated imagery based on the film in a promotional event for Tesla's new Cybercab. The suit, available via Variety, claims the defendants opted for the AI image after Alcon "refused all permissions and adamantly objected to Defendants suggesting any affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company." Tesla's We, Robot event faced some earlier backlash over the presence of Tesla robots, which were implied to be AI-driven and autonomous but were more likely being controlled by human operators. But this is much more serious: The lawsuit claims Tesla asked for permission to use a still image from Blade Runner 2049 for the event, and when Alcon refused it simply fed images from the film into an AI image generator, along with instructions to make "a lightly stylized fake screen still from BR2049." That image was then used early in the Cybercab presentation, and lest anyone not make the connection Musk specifically referenced the film in his opening remarks. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," he said. "I think we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." "Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of BR2049 when he was supposed to be talking about his new product," the lawsuit states. "He really had no credible reason. Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the Cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to BR2049's fictional future. But 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. Which of course is exactly what it was." The lawsuit also notes that Blade Runner 2049 is the only Hollywood movie to be used in the Cybercab promotion even though Warner also holds the rights to all the Mad Max films. Any one of those would have been better choices if the actual point was to illustrate a really shitty future we'd all rather avoid, the suit states -- reasonably, I think. But that was not the point at all: The suit's allegation is that the whole point was to make the event "more attractive to the global audience and to misappropriate BR2049's brand to help sell Teslas." Making matters worse for Alcon is Musk's "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech." Alcon states in the lawsuit that it specifically did not want to be affiliated with Musk or his companies because of his behavior, which is why it not only refused to grant the use of Blade Runner 2049 material in the first place but "also expressly and clearly objected to any express or implied BR2049 affiliation with the event." But now it's caught up in it regardless, across thousands of re-posts and millions of views. "The false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry, all as Defendants knew would inevitably happen," the suit states. This is the Blade Runner 2049 Tesla allegedly wanted to use in its We, Robot presentation: This is what ultimately appeared in the presentation. All told, the use of the image represents "massive economic theft," the suit claims, not only because of the fees lost on this "unauthorized association" but also because it "muddied the waters" for potential real brand partnerships based on the upcoming Blade Runner 2049 spinoff television series. The lawsuit asks for all copies of materials using the image as well as other "related record and documents" to be impounded by the court, and that an injunction against further use be issued. Alcon is also after damages and disgorgement of profits, legal fees, and "such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper." This isn't the first time in recent memory that one of Musk's companies has been sued for doing whatever the hell it wants without regard for consequences. In September, Cards Against Humanity filed a lawsuit against SpaceX for trespassing on land it owned and destroying it "with gravel, tractors, and space garbage." In that case, not unlike this one, SpaceX allegedly made a "lowball offer" for permission to use the land and when CAH refused, it went ahead and used it anyway. I've reached out to Tesla for comment and will update if I receive a reply.
[10]
'Blade Runner 2049' producer accuses Musk and Tesla of circumventing copyright with AI imagery
In an interesting variation of the usual "stop stealing our stuff" lawsuit already deployed dozens of times against AI companies, today brings a more nuanced form of alleged theft. Alcon Entertainment, a production company behind "Blade Runner 2049," is suing Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros Digital for what they claim is a willful circumvention of its IP rights, according to Hollywood Reporter. Musk had asked to use imagery from the film to promote Tesla's latest futuristic concept cars at their unveiling on a Warners studio lot. When Alcon wouldn't agree to provide the rights through Warner, the suit alleges that Tesla, at Musk's direction, used that imagery as raw material to duplicate it using an AI model. He then showed this fake Blade Runner imagery while talking about the film itself, as you see above. The lawsuit proposes unspecified damages and also banning Tesla from further distributing the disputed promotional materials.
[11]
Elon Musk Accused Of Stealing Blade Runner 2049 Imagery To Sell Teslas In New Lawsuit
Last week, Elon Musk revealed his Robotaxis at a Tesla Cybercab event on a Hollywood movie lot filled with theatrical flourishes aimed at evoking a neon-fueled sci-fi future. A new lawsuit filed on Monday now accuses the tech billionaire of using AI to generate Blade Runner 2049-style imagery after one of the companies behind the film had already turned down Musk's request to officially license it. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of Alcon Entertainment, which helped finance Blade Runner 2049, The New York Times reports. It targets both Tesla and Warner Bros. as defendants and claims the former used AI-generated imagery based on Blade Runner 2049 to infringe on Alcon Entertainment's copyright. It essentially argues that Musk tried to "misappropriate the Blade Runner 2049 brand to help sell Teslas." The Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel to the Harrison Ford original starred Ryan Gosling and used bold colors and panoramic futuristic views to depict a grim cyberpunk dystopia in which both humanity and machines are suffering from corporate exploitation and spiritual malaise. But Gosling, and the movie, tapped into a cool mystique alongside the technological angst. Musk's allegedly infringing images were part of the "We, Robot" Tesla Cybercab event on October 10, held on the Warner lot, where the company revealed new autonomous cars that it claims could be ferrying passengers around Los Angeles by the end of the decade. The company also touted its Optimus robots at the event, which it claims will be able to carry out various household tasks for $20,000-$30,000 each once they are manufactured. Early in the event, Musk used the image of a man in a trench coat looking out at a hazy, yellow-orange, desolate, urban city skyline with the words "not this" in the corner to illustrate a future dystopia his products are meant to avoid. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," the Tesla CEO said during the event, directly referencing the franchise. "I believe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse." In its lawsuit, Alcon claims that the still image was clearly interpreted as a reference to the 2017 sequel and, in addition to infringing on its copyright, also affiliates the two brands in a way that the Hollywood company intentionally wanted to avoid. Alcon said it wanted to avoid any association with Musk's "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," and also to not jeopardize potential brand deals with other car companies ahead of the launch of an upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV show on Amazon Prime. Despite denying Musk's request to use Blade Runner 2049 in his presentation, the lawsuit states, "He did it anyway." While Musk was once known primarily for his electric cars, he's made news much more often in recent years for incendiary comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, which he purchased in 2022. When he's not touting successful rocket retrievals by SpaceX or playing Diablo IV, he's out campaigning for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Over the weekend, Musk claimed he would give any registered voter in Pennsylvania $100 to sign a petition as part of a marketing blitz for the recently convicted Republican candidate.
[12]
Elon Musk sued for using AI-generated Blade Runner imagery at robotaxi event
Today, Alcon Entertainment -- an LA-based production company behind Blade Runner 2049 -- filed a lawsuit against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery alleging that an AI image generator was used to create promotional art for the We, Robot event that was meant to resemble stills from the 2017 sci-fi film. According to Alcon, which also owns the copyright to Blade Runner 2049, WBD and Tesla sent a request to use imagery from the film on the afternoon of October 10th just hours before the We, Robot demo took place on the Warner Bros. lot in California.
[13]
Tesla Sued By 'Blade Runner' Producers Mad About Robotaxi Event
Alcon Entertainment claims to have denied Elon Musk permission to use images from the film at the We, Robot event this month. When invitees of Tesla's "We, Robot" event hopped into the Robotaxi prototypes at the Warner Bros. Hollywood Studio on Oct. 10, they were greeted by a giant screen festooned with futuristic animations and illustrations. One of those illustrations was inspired by the 2017 sci-fi flick Blade Runner 2049, itself a sequel to the 1982 classic Blade Runner -- both cited as influential to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his plans for the Cybertruck. But the producers of the sequel aren't having any of it. They're now suing Tesla for copyright infringement, for using Blade Runner-inspired visualizations to promote the self-driving Cybercab, the New York Times reported today. Alcon Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Tesla in the Los Angeles District Court, alleging that the company had denied a request by Musk to use Blade Runner-inspired visualizations at the Robotaxi reveal. But "he did it anyway," as per the suit. The Blade Runner series depicts a grim future grappling with a climate crisis and off-world expansion, as well as the many moral and ethical questions around developing an android-like race of beings used as disposable labor. Artificial intelligence, holograms and flying taxis are some of the central components of the films. Despite not exactly being a pleasant vision of tomorrow, Musk clearly thinks it's cool. We've been hearing about this from him for a while. Before the Cybertruck launch last year, Musk said in a post on X that the truck was like an "armored personnel carrier from the future -- what Blade Runner would have driven." (Never mind the fact that "Blade Runner" is a kind of nickname for the detectives who investigate crimes involving androids, and not some guy's actual name.) "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," states the complaint according to Hollywood Reporter. Tesla did not use exact images from the film but used AI tools to create near-identical images. That, according to Alcon, is a "bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit." It could be months, or even years before any verdict comes out of this case. But it's another controversial element in Musk's Robotaxi ambitions. As it is, the Robotaxi reveal was light on technical details and was mostly a concept showcase. The car itself looks cool with its butterfly doors, smooth surfacing and a compact footprint. But the event was more bling than substance. Tesla didn't tell us how the underlying Full-Self Driving (FSD) technology would obtain regulatory approval or how it would be safe for passengers in varying driving conditions. All we know is that the Robotaxi will feature wireless charging -- the prototypes didn't have charging ports at all -- and Tesla gunning to achieve an efficiency of 5.5 miles per kilowatt-hour to obtain about 200 miles of range from a small battery. How will all of this work in the real world? We don't know yet and Tesla is being quiet about it.
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'Blade Runner 2049' Producer Sues Elon Musk's Tesla, Warner Bros. Discovery Over AI Images
Federal Crackdown Begins on Streaming Services' Cancellation Policies A production company for Blade Runner 2049 has sued Tesla, which allegedly fed images from the movie into an artificial intelligence image generator to create unlicensed promotional materials. Alcon Entertainment, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in California federal court, accuses Elon Musk and his autonomous vehicle company of misappropriating the movie's brand to promote its robotaxi at a glitzy unveiling earlier this month. The producer says it doesn't want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk because of his "extreme political and social views," pointing to ongoing efforts with potential partners for its upcoming TV series. The complaint, which brings claims for copyright infringement and false endorsement, also names Warner Bros. Discovery for allegedly facilitating the partnership. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," states the complaint. "Alcon did not want BR2049 to be affiliated with Musk."
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Alcon Entertainment, producers of 'Blade Runner 2049', have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery for alleged copyright infringement involving AI-generated imagery used in Tesla's 'robotaxi' unveiling event.
Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind "Blade Runner 2049," has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery for alleged copyright infringement. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that Musk and Tesla used imagery reminiscent of the film to promote Tesla's new self-driving "robotaxi" without permission [1][2].
On October 10, Tesla held a marketing event on the Warner Bros. lot to unveil its new autonomous vehicle. According to the complaint, Musk's presentation featured "AI-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike" [1]. Alcon claims they had previously denied a request from Musk and the companies to use imagery from the film for this event [2].
The lawsuit describes the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images as "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" intended to make the event more attractive to a global audience and misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas [3]. This incident raises important questions about the use of AI-generated content and potential copyright infringement in promotional materials.
Alcon states that they denied the request to use "Blade Runner 2049" imagery due to Musk's "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech" [4]. The company also cited ongoing negotiations with other automotive brands for partnerships related to an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099" [1].
The lawsuit argues that the unauthorized use of imagery has "irreparably tangled" the false affiliation between "Blade Runner 2049" and Tesla in the global media, potentially affecting Alcon's future partnerships and projects [5]. Alcon claims that contracts linking the film to automotive brands have had "dollar price tags in the eight figures" [3].
During the event, Musk presented Tesla's vision for the future of transportation, contrasting it with the dystopian future depicted in science fiction like the Blade Runner series. He stated, "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future. I think we want that duster he is wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse" [4]. The Robotaxi, also referred to as Cybercab, is set to be released sometime before 2027 [3].
This case highlights the growing concerns surrounding AI-generated content and copyright infringement. It bears similarities to a recent incident involving actress Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI, where an AI-generated voice resembling Johansson's was used without her permission [2]. These incidents underscore the need for clearer guidelines and regulations regarding the use of AI in content creation and marketing.
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