Lawyers representing Elon Musk are preparing to file a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the Tesla CEO, who also leads President Donald Trump’s DOGE organization, utilized AI-generated images reminiscent of “Blade Runner,” violating copyright laws during a Tesla press conference.
In documents submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division late Tuesday, Musk’s attorneys stated that both Musk and Tesla, named as co-defendants in the case, will seek to dismiss “all claims” for relief with prejudice. The term “with prejudice” indicates that the case is permanently dismissed and cannot be refiled.
The plaintiff, Alcon Entertainment, plans to contest this motion, according to the filing.
In October, Alcon, the studio behind the 2017 movie “Blade Runner 2049,” initiated the lawsuit against Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), alleging a deliberate infringement of its intellectual property rights.
As stated in Alcon’s complaint, Musk and WBD sought permission to use imagery from “Blade Runner 2049” to promote Tesla’s avant-garde concept vehicles shortly before their debut on a Warner studio lot. When Alcon declined to provide the rights via WBD, the suit claims that, under Musk’s direction, Tesla sourced imagery as raw material to recreate it using an AI model. The lawsuit does not specify which AI model was used (at least not yet).
Musk subsequently presented this allegedly fabricated “Blade Runner” imagery during the event while discussing the film.
Alcon’s complaint also states that it was never informed of any agreements between Tesla and WBD that would have been necessary prior to Tesla’s presentation. The production company’s lawsuit seeks to prohibit Tesla from further disseminating the contested promotional materials and seeks unspecified damages. Additionally, the complaint highlights that infringements under the U.S. Copyright Act can lead to penalties of up to $150,000 per violation and suggests that the total costs could be even higher:
“Based on previous actual contractual agreements for brand affiliations related to automotive partners on BR2049 [Blade Runner 2049], Tesla likely would have been required to spend a significant amount — at least in the mid-six-figure range (around $500,000) and possibly even into the eight-figure range ($10 million or more) to secure a brand affiliation with BR2049 for Tesla and its [company’s] cybercab [robotaxi] at market value, if Alcon had been willing to negotiate at all,” asserts the original complaint filed by Alcon’s legal representatives. “The copyright violations here permitted Tesla to evade these costs.”
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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