Chinese tech giant ByteDance curbs its AI video-making tool, Seedance, following a legal threat from Disney and concerns from other entertainment companies.
In recent days, videos created with the latest Seedance 2.0 app go viral online, praised for their realism. Some clips feature characters from Marvel and Star Wars battling in highly detailed scenes.
Hollywood studios raise alarms, accusing the platform of copyright infringement. On Friday, Disney sends ByteDance a cease-and-desist letter, claiming Seedance uses a “pirated library” of the studio’s copyrighted characters. Disney’s lawyers describe the situation as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of intellectual property.
ByteDance responds, stating it “respects intellectual property rights” and is implementing stronger safeguards to prevent unauthorised use of copyrighted characters and real-life likenesses. The company does not provide specifics on the measures yet.
Seedance generates videos from short text prompts, often featuring real actors or shows. Some clips already circulate online, showing Spider-Man fighting Captain America or Star Wars characters Anakin Skywalker and Rey dueling with lightsabers.
The Motion Picture Association, representing major US studios like Warner Bros, Paramount, and Netflix, urges ByteDance to halt the infringing activity. Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA also accuses Seedance of “blatant infringement.” Meanwhile, the Japanese government opens an investigation after AI-generated videos feature popular anime characters.
Legal pressure on AI content tools is increasing globally. Last year, Disney and NBCUniversal sued AI image generator MidJourney for creating unauthorised copies of copyrighted works, and Disney also asks Google to restrict AI generation of its characters.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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