The production company behind “Blade Runner 2049” filed a lawsuit Monday against Elon Musk and Tesla, accusing them of copyright infringement while promoting a new self-driving car.

In its lawsuit, Alcon Entertainment says Musk used AI-generated imagery mirroring scenes from its 2017 sci-fi film while presenting Tesla’s new autonomous Robotaxi at a marketing event earlier this month. Producers had denied his request to do so.

“He did it anyway,” the suit alleges, adding that the company denied Musk’s request due to the tech mogul’s “extreme political and social views” that occasionally veer into “hate speech.” Musk enthusiastically endorsed Donald Trump for president, appearing alongside him at a rally earlier this month, and has espoused transphobic views.

  • @[email protected]
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    1897 months ago

    The big brain move was to ask them first, thereby proving you wanted to use their IP.

    If he had just faked it anyway without asking he might have got away with it.

    Genius strategist.

    • @[email protected]
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      197 months ago

      Reminds me of Google’s thing with the Gemini name.

      Google decides to use the Gemini name for their AI stuff either knowing other company has patent or whatever on that name when it comes to AI or just doing it anyway. Google asks Patent Office to give them the name, they are told no. Then some “mysterious third party” tries to buy out the other company. They figure it is Google trying to circumvent the patent, they stop contact and just sue Google.

      I’m not sure if they decided on the name, saw it was taken and were like “yeah but we like the name so it’ll be fine” or if they’re genuinely stupid enough to first decide on the name and then they realize that oh shit

  • @[email protected]
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    777 months ago

    What’s great about lawsuits like this is you really only have to prove intent and they have a record of them asking for similar imagery.

  • @[email protected]
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    687 months ago

    I hate this guy so much. Hope he gets run over by one of his shitty trucks in full self/driving mode. Best part is that they turn off FSD right before impact to absolve blame. Oh, poor guy got smooshed, but FSD wasn’t to blame.

        • @[email protected]
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          7 months ago

          The cliff thought as much. Why else would it yeet him like that?!

          (Doesn’t sound like he was because he also held patents for an insulin pump & a wheelchair that could climb stairs so his mind was definitely working towards solving real world problems & not just reinventing public transport)

          • @[email protected]
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            97 months ago

            the guy who invented the segway is still alive. The guy who bought his company later drove off a cliff, though it is suspected he had a heart attack while driving

  • Uriel238 [all pronouns]
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    157 months ago

    Once again the ownership class pirates freely while disparaging the common folk for violating copyright.

    It’s almost if it’s not a real law, rather something by which to disparage the proletariat.

  • @[email protected]
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    -217 months ago

    Abandoned city background + “you are now in mexico” filter + duster = owned by Hollywood.

    Elon sucks but so does this lawsuit.

    • Cethin
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      7 months ago

      If they asked if they can use imagery similar to or from BR2049 then they’re clearly in the wrong, which it sounds like they did. If they just made an ad and it happened to look like it, maybe not.

      • @[email protected]
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        97 months ago

        At the same time, “similar works” are protected and allowed as legal. For instance the 5000 spaghetti westerns that exist, or the entire formula for 80’s slasher films. Or Ants and A Bugs Life, or Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down, or Deep Impact and Armageddon.

        So there has to be some sort of line somewhere that’s a cut-off, but it might be hard to find. Musk wanted to use blade runner and was told to fuck off, so he made up his own dystopian Sci fi future scene. He most certainly aimed for the blade runner look, but was it illegal?

        • Cethin
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          47 months ago

          That’s true. I guess we have to wait for this to go through court. I would assume if they put Blade Runner in the prompt it could violate the copyright.

    • @[email protected]
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      227 months ago

      When the image appears on the screen, he says, “we didn’t want the blade runner future. Well, maybe that cool duster he’s wearing.” So anyone there would likely assume that the image is from Blade Runner. The intent of the image was Blade Runner.

    • @[email protected]
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      7 months ago

      I really, really dislike the guy, but if he didn’t actually use imagery from the film… Does this suit actually have standing?

      C’mon guys, cripes. What are we doing here, feeding lawyers for the sake of feeding lawyers??

      • @[email protected]
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        17 months ago

        I mean there was that one Robin Thicke lawsuit where it sounded nothing like a Marvin gaye song

    • @[email protected]
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      -27 months ago

      Agreed. There’s no footage used from BR2049 or even a cheap simulation of it in his promotion. And you can’t trademark simply saying the words, “Blade Runner.”

    • @[email protected]
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      -57 months ago

      I had no idea you could copywrite scenery lol. How fucking stupid and dystopian is that?

      Elon is a fucking douchebag but Jesus Christ copywrite laws are just as cancerous

  • @[email protected]
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    -427 months ago

    They’re suing him for using vaguely cyberpunk ai generated images?

    As much as it seems like Musk is trying to make a real life cyberpunk dystopia, this seems a little silly.

    • @[email protected]
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      927 months ago

      They’re suing him for copying scenes shot for shot from their movie after they told him explicitly not to

    • @[email protected]
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      417 months ago

      If Tesla (or the marketing company) asked for permission, then it was more than “vaguely”.

      • @[email protected]
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        57 months ago

        My interpretation is they wanted to use it, got denied, so used a more generic setting instead.

        • exu
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          87 months ago

          *tried to

          It was still close enough that the production company feels they can win with their claim.

    • Dr. Bob
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      77 months ago

      Desert wasn’t really a cyberpunk setting until BR 2049. Post-apocolyptic sure, MadMax had that stitched up in 1979, but not cyberpunk.