Warner Bros. Gains Ground in 'Blade Runner 2049' AI Image Lawsuit Against Tesla

The Tesla 'Blade Runner 2049' AI Lawsuit Just Hit an Interesting Snag

Some claims have been dismissed in the suit, which also involves Warner Bros., about imagery used at a 2024 Tesla eventâ€"but there's no resolution yet. In April, movement on a 2024 lawsuit involving AI, Tesla, Warner Bros., and the production company behind Blade Runner 2049 caught the attention of sci-fi fans. Today, there's an update that skews in favor of Warner Bros. Alcon Entertainment, which produced the 2017 Denis Villeneuve film and has the Prime Video Blade Runner 2099 series on the way, alleged that promotional material used at an October 2024 Tesla event very closely resembled stills from that film. Those concerns were further heightened by the fact that Alcon had asked Warner Bros., which distributes its films and was partnering with Tesla for a "robotaxi" or "Cybercab" unveiling, not to allow the use of Blade Runner 2049 imagery as part of the event. The ensuing lawsuit alleges that Tesla circumvented that request by feeding Blade Runner 2049 stills into an AI image generator, and that's what was eventually used to backdrop the Tesla presentation. The lawsuit touches on several complicated issues, including, as the Hollywood Reporter points out, "whether the creation of a visual by an AI image generator by copying a portion of a copyrighted work without a license constitutes copyright infringement." That's one of the as-yet undecided issues in the ongoing proceedings. As THR reports, now dismissed are "claims seeking to hold Warner Bros. Discovery responsible for Tesla’s use of the photos" as well as "another claim alleging that Warner Bros. Discovery had a duty to stop Tesla from infringing Alcon’s intellectual property." However, "Warner Bros. Discovery still faces a claim for contributory infringement, which accuses the studio of facilitating the alleged misconduct." You can read more about the lawsuit in THR; the complexities of this specific case, however, are coming at a time when Hollywood is facing issues centered on AI's encroachment of intellectual property on an unprecedented scale. Earlier this month, we learned that Warner Bros. joined Disney and Universal in filing a lawsuit against Midjourney; as Variety reported, the allegations accuse "the AI image-generating platform of blatant copyright violations" involving copyrighted WB characters. We don't know yet how Alcon, which (per THR) has one more try to "fix claims for direct and vicarious copyright infringement," will ultimately fare in its legal fight. But even if Warner Bros. ends up overcoming the remaining claims in this case, it seems the studio has now taken new interest in protecting its library from copyright infringement with generative AI elsewhere.

Tesla, Warner Bros. Discovery Get Partial Victory In AI Image Lawsuit From 'Blade Runner' Production Company - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

When it comes to the Tesla Inc TSLA Cybertruck vehicle, CEO Elon Musk has noted the similarities between the vehicle and the futuristic movie "Blade Runner." Alas, that may not be the only connection between Tesla and "Blade Runner." A production company behind the 2017 "Blade Runner 2049" film has an ongoing lawsuit against the electric vehicle company and another movie company about imagery used at an event. TSLA is showing upward movement. Watch the momentum here. Here's the latest update. What Happened: A lawsuit filed by Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind "Blade Runner 2049," saw some claims dismissed in its case against Warner Bros. Discovery WBD and Tesla. The claims that Tesla used an AI image generator to create unlicensed images from the film were dismissed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Claims that Warner Bros. Discovery helped Tesla in the image generation were also dismissed. Tesla previously partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery for its robotaxi event in October 2024. Images at the event were similar to those in the 2017 film, according to the lawsuit. Hours before the event began, Tesla was denied permission to use images from the film, according to the report. Alcon claims Tesla then fed images from the film into an AI image generator as a workaround. The court said claims that Warner Bros. Discovery was responsible for the images Tesla used at the event were not supported by the allegations. "Allowing Musk and Tesla to 'pick and choose' content from a library does not amount to Warner having a right to stop, limit, or supervise," the court said. The 2017 film was distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery in the U.S. and Canada. Read Also: Elon Musk, Tesla Accused Of Stealing Ideas From 'I, Robot' Movie For Cybercab, Robovan: 'Can I Have My Designs Back Please?' What's Next: While portions of the claims were dismissed by the court, several questions remain in the lawsuit. One of the biggest questions is whether Tesla can be held responsible for using an AI image generator to make images from a copyrighted work, such as the film. The court previously denied Tesla's call to dismiss a claim that it directly violated copyright infringement. The ruling said there were "several similarities" between images from the film and images used at the Tesla event. Warner Bros. Discovery is mostly off the case, but still faces a claim for contributory infringement. Alcon is said to want to distance itself from the electric vehicle company and CEO Musk. A TV series based on the movie is also said to be in the works. Read Next: Google Sued By Rolling Stone, Billboard Owner Penske Media Over AI Overviews Feature TSLATesla Inc$421.872.88%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum91.94Growth75.56Quality62.94Value4.99Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewWBDWarner Bros. Discovery Inc$17.87-8.17%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Warner Bros. Discovery Nears Win in 'Blade Runner 2049' Legal Battle Over Tesla's AI Images

Some claims in a novel lawsuit from a production company for Blade Runner 2049, accusing Tesla of feeding images from the movie into an artificial intelligence image generator to create unlicensed promotional materials and Warner Bros. Discovery of facilitating the alleged infringement, have been dismissed. Tesla's partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to promote its robotaxi at a glitzy unveiling, which was done from a studio lot last year, sparked the lawsuit. At the presentation, Elon Musk reached the stage in what he called a "cybercab" before showing an image of a male figure wearing a trench coat who's surveying the abandoned ruins of a city bathed in a misty, orange light. Alcon Entertainment, the production company, alleged that the image was intended to be understood as an actual still from Blade Runner 2049's sequence of Ryan Gosling's character exploring a ruined Las Vegas. Among the unsettled legal questions the case asks is whether the creation of a visual by an AI image generator by copying a portion of a copyrighted work without a license constitutes copyright infringement. In the order, the court dismissed claims seeking to hold Warner Bros. Discovery responsible for Tesla's use of the photos. It said the accusation that the studio handed over high resolution images of the movie to the Musk-owned company for the event "isn't supported by allegations." Another claim alleging that Warner Bros. Discovery had a duty to stop Tesla from infringing Alcon's intellectual property was also not allowed to proceed. Alcon had directed the studio to stop Tesla from using images from Blade Runner 2049 at the event. Still, the request didn't give it the ability to actually stop Tesla from doing so regardless of whether it responded in a way that Alcon understood to mean that it would honor the ask, according to the order. "Allowing Musk and Tesla to 'pick and choose' content from a library does not amount to Warner having a right to stop, limit, or supervise" them," Wu wrote in the ruling issued on Sept. 11. Tesla was denied permission to use stills from Blade Runner 2049 for the event just hours before the presentations was set to begin. The lawsuit alleged that the company responded by feeding images of the movie into an AI image generator, undermining its intellectual property rights. Also an obstacle for Alcon: it doesn't appear that the studio or Tesla directly benefited from the alleged infringement, the order said. Alcon will have one more chance to fix claims for direct and vicarious copyright infringement. Discovery may prove helpful with the company finding its footing on these allegations. Warner Bros. Discovery still faces a claim for contributory infringement, which accuses the studio of facilitating the alleged misconduct. In April, the court denied Tesla's bid to dismiss a claim for direct copyright infringement, pointing to "several similarities" between the promotional materials that Tesla used and stills from the movie that were allegedly infringed upon. Part of Alcon's motivations for continuing to pursue the lawsuit relates to an upcoming TV series based on the movie. Asked what the company expects to win in the case at a hearing earlier this year, a lawyer for Alcon responded, "Part of what is happening here is my client" has to "make clear that it has distance from some of the parties involved here."