Overview
- Disney’s notice accuses ByteDance of deliberately reproducing, distributing, and adapting its works on Seedance 2.0, calling the conduct a “virtual smash-and-grab.”
- The company cites generated clips featuring Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Grogu, and Peter Griffin that users shared widely on social media.
- ByteDance launched Seedance 2.0 this week for Chinese users via the Jianying app with text-to-video clips up to 15 seconds, and it says a CapCut rollout for global users is planned.
- Industry groups including the Motion Picture Association, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America, and the Human Artistry Campaign have condemned the service and urged ByteDance to stop the alleged infringement.
- Viral deepfakes such as a Tom Cruise–Brad Pitt fight drew outrage as Disney couples enforcement actions against alleged misuse with selective licensing, including a recent partnership with OpenAI.