Disney Demands ByteDance Halt Seedance AI’s Unauthorized Use of Star Wars, Marvel IP
Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance accusing it of using Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel characters to train Seedance 2.0 without permission, after the AI model generated viral videos in China. ByteDance announced steps to strengthen safeguards against unauthorized IP use but did not detail specific measures.
1. Disney and Paramount Issue Legal Threats
On February 16, Disney delivered a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging that Seedance 2.0 was trained on unauthorized Disney characters from Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel franchises. Paramount Skydance also issued a legal notice accusing the Chinese firm of "blatant infringement" of its intellectual property.
2. Viral Reach of Seedance 2.0 AI Videos
Seedance 2.0 launched last week and quickly produced cinematic clips—such as Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt—that went viral across Chinese social platforms, with several videos amassing millions of views. The model’s ability to generate lifelike star combinations using minimal prompts has drawn widespread attention.
3. ByteDance’s Safeguard Measures
ByteDance acknowledged the IP concerns and stated it will strengthen current safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of copyrighted material and likenesses in user-generated AI videos. The company has not yet disclosed the specific technical or policy measures it will deploy.