‘Blade Runner 2049’ Producers Sue Elon Musk Over ‘Robotaxi’ Imagery

Media|‘Blade Runner 2049’ Producers Sue Elon Musk Over ‘Robotaxi’ Imagery

The Hollywood institution down “Blade Runner 2049” sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement connected Monday, accusing him of illegally utilizing imagery from that movie to beforehand Tesla’s caller “robotaxi.”

Alcon Entertainment, a movie and tv institution backed by nan FedEx laminitis Frederick W. Smith, revenge nan suit successful U.S. District Court successful Los Angeles. The title besides names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery arsenic defendants, saying that Alcon had denied a petition by Mr. Musk and nan companies to usage imagery from “Blade Runner 2049” arsenic portion of an Oct. 10 marketing event connected nan Warner lot.

“He did it anyway,” nan suit says.

Mr. Musk’s live-streamed position — a expansive unveiling of a car that Tesla says will beryllium capable to thrust itself — did not usage nonstop “Blade Runner 2049” images, according to nan complaint. Rather, nan arena showcased “A.I.-created images mirroring scenes from ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ including 1 featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike,” Alcon said.

The suit called nan usage of artificial intelligence devices to create near-identical images “a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit” to make nan arena “more charismatic to a world assemblage and to misappropriate nan ‘Blade Runner 2049’ marque to thief waste Teslas.”

Mr. Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

As described by Alcon, nan section bears a striking resemblance to 1 earlier this twelvemonth involving nan character Scarlett Johansson and nan artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI. Days earlier it demonstrated a caller virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Ms. Johansson licence her sound for it. She declined.

Despite her refusal, OpenAI utilized a sound called “Sky” that sounded “eerily akin to mine,” Ms. Johansson said astatine nan time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to transcript her voice, but pulled “Sky” arsenic a sound option, saying successful a blog station that “A.I. voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity’s unique voice.”

“Blade Runner 2049,” a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. successful 2017. The movie stars Mr. Gosling arsenic a bioengineered quality surviving successful a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, afloat autonomous car.

Alcon denied a petition to let Mr. Musk to usage imagery from nan movie because of his “highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into dislike speech,” according to nan complaint. Alcon besides said it was successful talks pinch different automotive brands for partnerships connected an upcoming Amazon tv series, “Blade Runner 2099,” and didn’t want to derail those negotiations.

Now, Alcon said successful its suit, “the mendacious affiliation betwixt ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and Tesla has been irreparably tangled successful nan world media tapestry, arsenic each defendants knew would inevitably happen.”

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