Overview
- Disney’s letter accuses ByteDance of releasing Seedance 2.0 with a “pirated library” of characters from Star Wars, Marvel and other franchises, citing viral clips featuring Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Grogu and Peter Griffin.
- Paramount Skydance’s separate letter calls the Seed platforms “blatant infringement,” lists properties from South Park to Star Trek and The Godfather, and asserts its works were used to train the models without consent.
- Industry groups intensified public pressure, with the Motion Picture Association urging an immediate halt to alleged infringement and SAG-AFTRA warning of unauthorized use of performers’ voices and likenesses.
- ByteDance told Decrypt it respects intellectual property rights and is strengthening safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of IP and likeness, with some outlets reporting the company has disabled generation of real people.
- Regulatory and market scrutiny expanded as Japan opened a probe over AI videos using well-known manga and anime characters, while Seedance 2.0 remained available in ByteDance’s Jianying app with plans reported for CapCut.