• Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, claiming copyright infringement by its AI tool Seedance.
• ByteDance plans to implement safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property.
• Other studios, including Paramount Skydance, have also complained about Seedance's content.

Disney has recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, accusing the company of using its characters in the AI video generator Seedance without permission. This letter alleges that ByteDance incorporated a "pirated library" of copyrighted characters, including from franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, treating them as if they were public-domain clip art. Videos created by the Seedance 2.0, such as those featuring Spider-Man and Darth Vader, have rapidly gone viral online, leading to increased scrutiny from Disney and other studios, according to BBC, Reuters, and Channel News Asia.

In response to Disney's legal actions, ByteDance confirmed its intent to enhance safeguards for Seedance 2.0, citing concerns about unauthorized use of its intellectual property. The company stated, "We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users." This announcement comes amidst growing criticism from various Hollywood studios, highlighting a trend towards legal scrutiny of AI-generated content, as mentioned by BBC and India Times.

Additional legal notices have also been sent by Paramount Skydance, which accuses ByteDance of "blatant infringement." This reflects an ongoing concern among Hollywood studios over the use of their intellectual property in AI technologies. Furthermore, Disney has made similar legal threats against other companies, such as Character.AI, indicating a stringent stance on protecting its copyrighted material, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.