### Alcon Entertainment Sues Tesla Over Alleged Copyright Violation

In a recent lawsuit, Alcon Entertainment, the producers behind the acclaimed sci-fi film Blade Runner 2049, have accused Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk of copyright infringement. According to the lawsuit, Tesla used an AI image generator to create promotional material for its We, Robot presentation that closely resembled scenes from the 2017 film. The legal action also targets Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

The legal dispute became public knowledge today when Alcon filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles court. The LA-based company asserts that Tesla and WBD had requested permission to use imagery from Blade Runner 2049 on October 10th, merely hours before the We, Robot event was to take place. Given that the event was to be live-streamed internationally, Alcon's approval was mandatory for any use of the film's images, despite WBD holding some licensing rights.

Alcon's lawsuit explains that their legal and licensing teams promptly denied the request, seeking to avoid any association with Musk, Tesla, or any of his ventures. The refusal was firm, as the company aimed to prevent any unintended endorsements: "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious, and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," states the lawsuit.

Despite this, Tesla allegedly proceeded to use shots from Blade Runner 2049, feeding them into an AI image generator to create what is described as a "lightly stylized fake screen still." These images prominently featured during Musk's presentation. Furthermore, during the event, Musk explicitly referenced the Blade Runner franchise when discussing futuristic sci-fi depictions, as a livestream cut showed a man in a duster jacket standing before a dystopian cityscape.

Beyond the core issue of copyright infringement, the lawsuit also points to a lack of transparency regarding any agreements between Tesla and WBD. Alcon claims it was unaware of any deals that would have allowed Tesla to use the Warner Bros. lot and equipment. The suit suggests that these agreements possibly required Tesla to promote its Cybercab in connection with one or more WBD films.

While the suit does not specify the exact amount in damages that Alcon is seeking, it insists that Musk, Tesla, and WBD were fully cognizant of the unauthorized usage of copyrighted material and supported this inappropriate initiative. Alcon's legal move aims to hold all involved parties accountable for their alleged actions.