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‘Blade Runner 2049’ Producer Settles Lawsuit Against Warner Bros. Discovery Over AI Images
Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind *Blade Runner 2049*, has settled its claim against Warner Bros. Discovery over AI-generated promotional imagery shown at Tesla’s 2024 robotaxi unveiling. The dispute matters because it is part of Alcon’s wider copyright case against Tesla and Elon Musk, and concerns whether AI-generated images can infringe copyright by copying a film’s visuals.
The settlement terms were not disclosed, and Alcon continues to pursue Tesla and Musk. Alcon alleged that an image of a figure surveying a ruined city evoked a scene featuring Ryan Gosling’s character in the film, and objected to the film being associated with Musk. A direct infringement claim against Warner Bros. Discovery was dismissed after the court found the studio was not responsible for overseeing Tesla’s presentation; the parties later moved to dismiss the remaining claims against it. Tesla and Musk argue the image’s use was fair use.
In short
- Alcon settled its claim against Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Its copyright case against Tesla and Musk continues.
- The case raises questions about AI-generated images and copyright.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Alcon’s strongest case is that a recognisable scene or visual identity from Blade Runner 2049 may have been appropriated to promote an unrelated product without permission. Copyright protection and control over a film’s commercial associations can help creators sustain their work and prevent audiences from mistaking an unauthorised imitation for an approved partnership.
The case against
Tesla and Musk’s strongest case is that the image was AI-generated and used as a brief reference at a presentation, rather than as a substitute for the film or a sale of its imagery. If it transformed familiar visual cues into a new context without copying protected expression in a legally significant way, treating that use as infringement could unduly restrict creative borrowing and new technology.
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