ByteDance faces mounting pressure from major entertainment companies over its Seedance video generation tool. Disney and Paramount Skydance have sent cease-and-desist letters to the Chinese technology giant, accusing it of copyright infringement.
Disney’s lawyers claim ByteDance provides users with a “pirated library” of copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel and other franchises. David Singer, a partner at Jenner & Block representing Disney, described the situation as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of intellectual property. The letter suggests Disney’s characters are being treated as “free public domain clip art.”
Paramount Skydance followed with its own legal demand. Gabriel Miller, the company’s head of intellectual property, stated that AI-generated content from Seedance is “often indistinguishable, both visually and audibly” from copyrighted characters and stories. The letter cites properties including South Park, Star Trek, The Godfather, and SpongeBob SquarePants as being repeatedly infringed.
The controversy erupted after videos created with Seedance 2.0 went viral, including clips showing Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on a rooftop. The Motion Picture Association condemned ByteDance and demanded the company cease its activities. Actors union SAG-AFTRA also spoke out against the platform.
ByteDance responded that it respects intellectual property rights and is taking steps to strengthen safeguards. The company did not provide details on specific measures. ByteDance has not disclosed what data it uses to train Seedance.
