Disney Tightens Grip on AI: ByteDance's Controversial Seedance Under Fire

Disney has issued a cease-and-desist to ByteDance for using copyrighted characters in its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator without permission. Disney accuses ByteDance of using their characters like Spider-Man and Darth Vader as public domain clip art. ByteDance will enhance safeguards against unauthorized use.

Disney has taken legal action against ByteDance, alleging the unauthorized use of its popular characters in the Chinese company's Seedance 2.0 AI video generator. The entertainment giant claims ByteDance pre-packaged Seedance with a pirated library of characters from franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel, treating them as public-domain assets.

In response, ByteDance announced plans to reinforce safeguards on its AI tool to prevent the misuse of copyrighted characters, while not immediately addressing inquiries from Reuters. Paramount Skydance, another major player, has also issued a cease-and-desist for intellectual property infringement.

Seedance 2.0 has gained significant attention in China, producing viral videos featuring actors like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Despite its prowess in generating cinematic content from minimal prompts, the AI tool has sparked controversy, prompting Disney to demand stricter controls on intellectual property use.