Alcon Entertainment sues Elon Musk, Tesla (TSLA, Financial), and Warner Bros (WBD, Financial) for copyright infringement, alleging that images from 'Blade Runner 2049' were used without permission during the launch of Tesla's Robotaxi. The event, which was staged two days after the exact shoot on October 10, 2024, at the Warner Bros. lot, used what was reported to be the AI depictions in the scenes, virtually recreating the film with figures that resembled both Gosling and futuristic vehicles used in the film shoot.

Although Alcon failed to grant Warner Bros's request to use certain Blade Runner 2049 visuals for the event, the images were nonetheless incorporated. Thus, Alcon sued Warner Bros. and filed the case in the central California district court on October 21, 2024. The lawsuit explains that Cruise infringed on the copyrighted content during an 11-second video designed to highlight Robotaxi's technological prowess.

According to their legal complaint, Tesla and Warner Bros are not only violating their property rights on the copyrighted visuals but also on the possibility of brand confusion. This is quite alarming for Alcon due to the various affiliations that the company is entering for its new Blade Runner 2099 series on Amazon Prime. The studio wants an injunction to be issued restraining the defendants from using or reproducing more of their material, as well as monetary damages.

This case joins the conflict by raising the various legal aspects of copyright in light of AI, raising the question of how AI work that copies a copyrighted work can be regulated legally. This case could have far-reaching implications for everyone involved in creating and marketing content, both in relation to AI and entertainment.

As we speak, none of the three parties involvedTesla, Musk, and Warner Bros have responded to the lawsuit. The verdict of this case may impact further work involving the implementation of AI in advertising and the protection of content in that virtual world.