The maker of the film Blade Runner 2049 has sued Tesla, Elon Musk and Warner Bros Discovery, alleging they used imagery from the movie without permission.<\/p>\n
Production firm Alcon Entertainment claims it had specifically denied a request from Warner Bros to use material from the film at the launch event for Tesla\u2019s long-awaited robotaxi.<\/p>\n
Alcon alleges that despite its refusal Tesla and the other organisers of the event on 10 October used artificial intelligence (AI) to create promotional imagery based on the film.<\/p>\n
Tesla and Warner Bros did not immediately reply to requests for comment from BBC News.<\/p>\n
The \u201cfinancial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk\u2019s massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behaviour, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Alcon also accused the event organisers of \u201cfalse endorsement\u201d by suggesting a connection between the production company and Tesla.<\/p>\n
Warner Bros, which hosted the robotaxi launch event at one of its movie studios, was also the distributor of Blade Runner 2049 when it was released in 2017.<\/p>\n
The highly-anticipated sequel to the 1982 cyberpunk classic Blade Runner, starred Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas and Jared Leto, and won two Academy Awards.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk has referred to the original film several times in the past, hinting at one point that it was a source of inspiration for Tesla\u2019s Cybertruck.<\/p>\n
Alcon is currently producing a spinoff television series Blade Runner 2099.<\/p>\n
Separately, the director of 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot accused Mr Musk of copying his designs for humanoid machines and self-driving vehicles.<\/p>\n
The title of Tesla robotaxi event \u2013 We, Robot \u2013 which played on the the title of an Isaac Asimov short story collection, caught the eye of Alex Proyas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey Elon, can I have my designs back please,\u201d Mr Proyas said in a post on X which has been viewed more than eight million times.<\/p>\n
But the claim was met with scepticism online, with some suggesting his own film is derivative.<\/p>\n