Disney Accuses ByteDance of Copyright Infringement in AI

Disney Accuses ByteDance of Copyright Infringement

The Walt Disney Company has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, accusing the company of using its copyrighted material to develop the video generation tool Seedance 2.0. According to Disney, ByteDance created the tool with a "pirated library" of Disney characters, including iconic figures from Star Wars and Marvel.

Details of the Allegations

The letter, which was obtained by Axios, mentions videos generated by Seedance that include characters like Spider-Man and Darth Vader. Although ByteDance recently launched Seedance 2.0, the tool has already received both recognition and criticism, particularly from Hollywood studios, due to its content generation capabilities.

Disney's History of Legal Conflicts

This is not the first legal conflict between Disney and artificial intelligence companies. Previously, Disney sent similar letters to other platforms, such as Character.AI. Furthermore, Disney accused Google of copyright infringement for training its AI models in a similar manner.

Partnership with OpenAI

While facing issues related to the misuse of its intellectual property, Disney has established a partnership with OpenAI. This licensing agreement allows OpenAI to use Disney characters to generate images and videos, highlighting a contrast in Disney's approaches regarding the use of its IP (intellectual property).

Future Implications for the Industry

The conflict between Disney and ByteDance underscores the growing tension in the technology and entertainment industry concerning the use of artificial intelligence. As technology advances, protecting copyright becomes paramount. The outcome of this dispute could shape legal precedents for the future use of AI in artistic and commercial creations.