Disney issues a cease-and-desist order against the creators of a new text-to-video AI tool, prompting promises of enhanced content moderation.
A rapidly escalating copyright dispute has erupted between major US entertainment studios and Chinese technology firm ByteDance. The conflict was triggered by the February 12 launch of Seedance 2.0, an artificial intelligence platform capable of generating stunningly realistic videos based on text prompts.
The internet has been flooded with viral clips featuring unauthorized depictions of famous characters, including a street brawl between Spider-Man and Captain America, and a lightsaber battle between Rey and Anakin Skywalker. In response, Disney’s legal counsel dispatched a cease-and-desist letter on Friday, claiming ByteDance relies on a “pirated library” and is committing a “virtual smash-and-grab” of their proprietary assets.
ByteDance Pledges Action
Following a weekend of intense industry pressure, ByteDance issued a conciliatory statement on Monday. The company told the BBC that it takes potential infringement seriously and is actively working to address the backlash.
“We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” ByteDance stated, though it remained silent on the specifics of these measures and the origins of its training data. The developer had previously restricted the ability to generate content based on uploaded photos of real people.
A United Front Against AI
The backlash extends far beyond Disney. The Motion Picture Association (MPA)—representing heavyweights like Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, and Netflix—has ordered an immediate halt to Seedance’s infringing activities. Concurrently, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union condemned the platform for “blatant infringement.”
The regulatory scrutiny is now crossing borders. Following the unauthorized generation of popular anime characters, the Japanese government announced its own investigation into ByteDance’s practices.
This coordinated pushback mirrors previous legal strategies employed by the studios. Both Disney and NBCUniversal are currently suing AI firm Midjourney for creating “endless unauthorised copies” of protected works, while Google has faced similar pressure from Disney to filter its AI outputs.
SOURCES: ByteDance, BBC, Motion Picture Association, SAG-AFTRA, The Walt Disney Company.
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