February 6, 2025 – Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, are embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind the film “Blade Runner 2049”. The suit alleges that Musk and Tesla unlawfully used AI-generated images in the “Blade Runner” style during a Tesla press conference, violating Alcon’s copyrights.
According to court documents filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division, Musk’s legal team intends to file a motion to dismiss the case with prejudice. A dismissal “with prejudice” would permanently close the case, barring the plaintiff from refiling. Both Musk and Tesla, as defendants in the case, seek to dismiss “all claims” against them.
However, Alcon Entertainment has expressed its intention to oppose this motion. The production company initiated the lawsuit in October 2024, naming Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as defendants. The complaint alleges that the defendants deliberately circumvented Alcon’s intellectual property rights.
Alcon’s complaint states that Musk and WBD requested permission to use images from “Blade Runner 2049” to promote Tesla’s futuristic concept car. When Alcon refused to grant permission through WBD, Tesla, under Musk’s direction, used AI models to replicate similar images from the film as source material, according to the complaint. Musk displayed these contested “Blade Runner”-style images during the press conference, referencing the film in his speech, although the specific AI model used remains undisclosed.
Furthermore, Alcon claims it was never informed of any potential agreements between Tesla and WBD that should have been established prior to the Tesla event.
The lawsuit demands that Tesla cease further distribution of the contested promotional materials and seeks unspecified damages. The complaint notes that under U.S. copyright law, infringement damages can amount to up to 150,000perinfringement.Additionally,Alconprovidesahighercostestimate,statingthatiftheyhadagreedtoabrandpartnershipwithTesla,thecompanycouldhavechargedatleast500,000, potentially even reaching eight-figure sums (over $1 million) for such a collaboration. This copyright infringement, according to Alcon, allowed Tesla to avoid these costs.
