Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery have won a ruling in their dispute with movie studio Alcon Entertainment over the use of imagery from “Blade Runner 2049” to promote Tesla’s autonomous cybercab. US District Judge George Wu dismissed some claims by Alcon, saying he was inclined to dismiss allegations that Tesla and Warner Bros. violated Alcon’s rights under US trademark law.
However, Wu allowed Alcon to continue pressing claims that Tesla infringed its copyright in the movie. Alcon had alleged that Tesla used AI-generated images mimicking “Blade Runner 2049” to promote the cybercab at a recent unveiling.
In his ruling, Judge Wu stated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk only referenced the original “Blade Runner” at the event and noted that Tesla and Alcon are not competitors. He also dismissed most of Alcon’s claims against Warner Bros.
The case has been sent to mediation, with Alcon stating it hopes defendants will take the court’s suggestion to settle the case amicably. Attorneys for Tesla and Warner Bros. did not respond immediately to requests for comment on Monday.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/tesla-warner-bros-fend-off-some-claims-blade-runner-2049-ad-dispute-2025-04-07