The Chinese tech giant responds to a cease-and-desist letter accusing its Seedance 2.0 platform of pirating intellectual property from major Hollywood studios.
Chinese technology company ByteDance has committed to implementing stricter controls on its new artificial intelligence video tool, Seedance. The pledge comes in the wake of severe legal threats from Disney and a chorus of complaints from the broader entertainment industry regarding widespread copyright infringement.
The controversy centers on Seedance 2.0, released on February 12. The generative AI tool, which creates highly realistic videos from simple text prompts, has rapidly populated social media with unauthorized clips. The BBC verified online videos generated by the app featuring Star Wars icons Anakin Skywalker and Rey engaged in a lightsaber duel, as well as Spider-Man fighting Captain America.
“Virtual Smash-and-Grab”
On Friday, Disney escalated the situation by issuing a cease-and-desist letter. The entertainment giant’s legal team accused ByteDance of utilizing a “pirated library” of copyrighted assets, characterizing the platform’s capabilities as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of its Marvel, Star Wars, and animated properties.
ByteDance addressed the allegations in a statement to the BBC on Monday. “We respect intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” a spokesperson said.
We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users.
However, the company declined to provide specifics regarding the new safety measures or reveal the data used to train the AI model. ByteDance noted it had already disabled the feature allowing users to upload images of real individuals.
Industry-Wide Alarm
Disney is not alone in its condemnation. The Motion Picture Association (MPA), acting on behalf of Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix, and Paramount, has demanded that ByteDance “immediately cease its infringing activity.” Additionally, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA labeled the technology a “blatant infringement” on performers’ likenesses.
The international community is also taking action, with the Japanese government launching an inquiry into potential copyright violations after AI-generated anime videos surfaced online.
The clash represents the latest front in Hollywood’s battle against generative AI. Disney and NBCUniversal are currently embroiled in a lawsuit against image generator Midjourney, and Disney has previously pressured Google to restrict character generation on its platforms.
SOURCES: The Walt Disney Company, ByteDance, Motion Picture Association, SAG-AFTRA, BBC.
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