(qlmbusinessnews.com . Tue 17th Feb, 2026) London, UK —
Disney Takes on ByteDance's AI Tool for Copyright Infringement of Marvel and Star Wars
The British tech community is closely watching as ByteDance, the Chinese technological behemoth, has committed to imposing restrictions on its contentious AI video creation tool in response to threats of legal action from Disney and grievances from other leading players in the entertainment industry. Recent days saw a surge in videos created with Seedance's latest iteration gaining traction online for their striking realism. However, this wave of innovation has raised red flags across Hollywood, with accusations flying high against the AI tool for purported copyright breaches.
Disney, on a recent Friday, escalated matters by dispatching a cease-and-desist missive to ByteDance, alleging that the firm equipped Seedance with an unlawful compilation of Disney's copyrighted elements, spanning iconic Marvel and Star Wars characters. Disney's solicitors have lambasted ByteDance for what they term a “virtual smash-and-grab” raid on their vault of intellectual property, including a broad spectrum of beloved figures from Marvel, Star Wars, and various animated series.
In a conversation with the Reporters on Monday, a representative from ByteDance articulated the company's respect for intellectual property rights, acknowledging the concerns raised about Seedance 2.0. The spokesperson detailed, “We are in the process of bolstering existing protections whilst striving to halt the unauthorised exploitation of intellectual property and likenesses by our user base.” However, ByteDance remained tight-lipped when probed for specifics on the protective measures it intends to enforce.
Seedance, akin to its fellow generative AI applications, is capable of fabricating videos from brief text cues. Since the release of its upgraded 2.0 version on February 12, numerous clips grounded in real-life actors and series have shot to viral fame.
Investigations by the Reporters uncovered online clips purporting to showcase Seedance-generated content, including Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker and Rey clashing in a lightsaber duel, as well as Spider-Man and Captain America locked in combat on the streets of New York. However, the underlying data ByteDance leverages to refine Seedance remains undisclosed.
Despite previously pausing users' ability to upload images of real individuals, ByteDance reiterates its commitment to honouring intellectual property rights and copyright laws, treating any potential infringement with utmost seriousness.
Adding to Disney's litigious moves, ByteDance has faced similar opprobrium from other Hollywood entities, including Paramount Skydance, which has issued its own cease-and-desist letter against the use of its content via Seedance. The Motion Picture Association and actors' union Sag-Aftra have echoed these sentiments, condemning the infringing activities, with Sag-Aftra specifically deploring the “blatant infringement” on display.
The controversy extends beyond the U.S., with the Japanese government inaugurating an inquiry into potential copyright breaches by the Chinese firm, spurred by AI-based recreations of celebrated Japanese anime figures circulating online.
This legal skirmish unfolds against a backdrop where AI image generation tools, in general, have come under fire, exemplified by Disney and NBCUniversal's ongoing lawsuit against the AI image generator Midjourney for allegedly producing unauthorised reproductions of copyrighted materials. Moreover, Disney's request to Google for curbing the generation of its characters on Google's AI platforms signals a growing discontent with AI's encroachment on intellectual property domains.
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