Blade Runner 2049 Producers Sue Tesla and Elon Musk Over Unauthorized Use of Imagery

Alcon Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and Elon Musk, alleging unauthorized use of imagery from Blade Runner 2049 without permission during a promotional event. The company claims substantial financial misappropriation and false endorsement, amid ongoing discussions regarding intellectual property in the tech and entertainment sectors.

Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind the critically acclaimed film Blade Runner 2049, has initiated legal proceedings against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros Discovery. The lawsuit stems from allegations that they utilized imagery from the film during Tesla’s recent robotaxi launch event without securing permission.

The event, which took place on October 10, featured promotional visuals that Alcon claims were engineered through artificial intelligence, based on Blade Runner 2049, despite their prior denial of a request from Warner Bros for usage of the film's material. In court documents, Alcon underscored the “financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial,” hinting at significant damage to its brand.

Moreover, the lawsuit asserts that Tesla’s actions could deter potential partnerships, stating, "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 document also referred to the concept of "false endorsement," suggesting Tesla's presentation of its vehicles implied a relationship with Alcon.

At the time of the incident, Warner Bros was not only the distributor for Blade Runner 2049 but also hosted the robotaxi launch event in one of its studios. Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to the original Blade Runner film from 1982, garnered accolades, including two Academy Awards, and starred notable actors such as Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

Elon Musk has previously stated that the original Blade Runner has served as an inspiration for Tesla’s design aesthetic, including elements featured in the Cybertruck. Alcon is concurrently developing a television spinoff titled, Blade Runner 2099.

The controversy surrounding the launch event does not end with Alcon’s suit; filmmaker Alex Proyas, known for directing I, Robot, alleged that Musk's designs for humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles were derivative from his own work, raising questions around originality and intellectual property in innovation. He even took to X to jest, “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?”—a comment that sparked a mix of amusement and skepticism on social media, with critics pointing out that Proyas’ own film has been characterized as derivative.

As the lawsuit unfolds, it will bring to light broader discussions about the intersection of technology and intellectual property rights, further testing the boundaries of creative ownership in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.