Automotive industry Film company sues Tesla and Musk after Robotaxi show
Including a reference to the movie "Blade Runner 2049" in Tesla's Robotaxi show has legal repercussions. The production company Alcon Entertainment sued Tesla, Musk and the studio Warner Bros. on whose premises the presentation took place.
The "Blade Runner" sequel, which was released in 2017, depicts an apocalyptic world with an environmental catastrophe and the collapse of civilization. It also features an autonomous vehicle with artificial intelligence.
Musk said at the event that he loved the movie - but that it was not the future he wanted to live in. An image was shown of a man in a long coat looking out over a sandstorm. Behind him is a skyline with skyscrapers against an orange sky. Alcon saw this as a deliberate attempt to create a connection in the minds of viewers to a similar image from the film - which the production company had refused to use.
Alcon is the rights holder, while Warner Bros. distributed "Blade Runner 2049". According to the film company, Tesla only asked a few hours before the event whether the well-known image could be used in the presentation. Alcon declined, according to the lawsuit.
Film company wants nothing to do with Musk
As justification, Alcon refers to Musk's political activities and his behavior, "which sometimes drifts into hate speech". The company does not want to be associated with the tech billionaire or any of his companies. But now this has happened anyway, because a similar image was created for Musk's presentation with the help of AI software. Tesla did not initially respond to the lawsuit.
The film company argues that the unauthorized association with Musk is damaging its business and is seeking an injunction and compensation.
At the event just over ten days ago, Musk showed a self-driving electric car that is designed to carry passengers without a human at the wheel. Tesla is expected to start production in 2026 and the car should cost less than 30,000 dollars for private buyers. Musk has been promising self-driving cars for more than eight years.
SDA
