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.
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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.
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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.
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