Legal Threat Prompts ByteDance to Rein in Its AI Video Tool

ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, says it will tighten controls on its AI video generator after facing legal threats from Disney and criticism from other major players in the entertainment industry. 

The dispute centers on Seedance 2.0, the newest version of ByteDance’s video creation app, which was released on Feb. 12. In recent days, clips produced with the tool have spread rapidly across social media, drawing attention for their lifelike visuals and cinematic quality. At the same time, the surge in popularity has raised concerns in Hollywood about how the system was trained and what material it can reproduce. 

Disney issued a cease-and-desist notice accusing ByteDance of building Seedance using unauthorized copies of its characters. According to the letter, the app had access to protected characters from franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel. Disney’s legal team described the alleged use of its intellectual property as a digital raid on its creative assets. 

ByteDance said it acknowledges the complaints and is reviewing its safeguards. The company said it respects copyright and intellectual property protections and is working to reduce the risk that users generate content featuring protected characters or recognizable likenesses without permission. However, it did not provide specifics about the additional measures it plans to introduce. 

Seedance operates similarly to other generative AI tools, producing video clips in response to brief written instructions. Some of the most widely shared examples appear to feature characters resembling Rey and Anakin Skywalker engaged in lightsaber combat, as well as Spider-Man and Captain America fighting. 

ByteDance has not disclosed what data was used to train the model. The company previously stated that it had disabled the option allowing users to upload images of real individuals, in an effort to limit misuse. 

Disney’s move comes amid broader pushback from the film and television sector. Paramount Skydance has also sent a legal notice demanding that Seedance stop using its material. The Motion Picture Association, which represents studios including Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount, has called for Seedance to halt what it describes as infringing activity. 

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities have opened an inquiry into ByteDance following the appearance of AI-generated videos featuring well-known anime characters. 

Legal battles over AI-generated content are becoming more common. Last year, NBC Universal and Disney filed suit against Midjourney, an image-generation platform they claim produced unauthorized replicas of their properties. Disney has also asked Google to limit the creation of its characters through Google’s AI services. 

As many companies like AI Maverick Intel Inc. (OTC: AIMV) leverage AI to deliver value-added services to their customers, concerns about intellectual property are likely to be given more focus in a bid to avoid any conflicts that could damage the reputation of the company. 

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