On February 13, The Walt Disney Company sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, contending that it has engaged in copyright infringement by ingesting its intellectual property into its Seedance 2.0 AI training data set.
ByteDance, also owner of the TikTok social media platform, calls Seedance 2.0 “a substantial leap in generation quality. It achieves a higher usability rate for complex interaction and motion scenes, with significant improvements in physical accuracy, visual realism, and controllability, making it highly tailored for industrial-grade creation scenarios.”
Studios have identified many instances of videos generated by Seedance 2,0 which use copyrighted but unlicensed characters and depictions; including reproductions of cast members, scenes, styles, costumes and even full episodes of series programs. Instances containing mashups of fictional programs with real-life characters were also identified.
Ironically, the letter that Warner Bros. sent to ByteDance went to its general counsel, who had previously been general counsel for Warner Bros.; according to Variety.
The situation was first reported by Axios on February 13. It’s also not unlike the complaint against MiniMax in September 2025, which claimed that its Hailuo AI platform was like having “Hollywood in your pocket.” which is pending.
ByteDance responds
In response, ByteDance has said that it would “impose additional guardrails to prevent unauthorized uses of copyrights and actors’ likenesses by Seedance users,” according to reporting by Variety.
Forbes reported a company spokesperson as saying that ByteDance is “taking steps to strengthen current safeguards” against “unauthorized use of intellectual property.”
Response is insufficient
Paramount Skydance, Sony joined Disney in outrage. Finding the response by ByteDance to be insufficient, Warner Bros., and Netflix also joined the fray. While Netflix explicitly threatened it, there has been no litigation as of the time of this writing
“Seedance acts as a high-speed piracy engine, generating mass quantities of unauthorized derivative works utilizing Netflix’s iconic characters, worlds, and scripted narratives,” said Mindy LeMoine, Netflix director of litigation, as reported by industry press.
Why it matters
Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, responded: “In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale. By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity.”
The SAG-AFTRA actors union added that “The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.”
Further reading
Official launch of Seedance 2.0. Press release/blog post. February 12, 2026. ByteDance
Scoop: Disney sends cease and desist letter to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0. Article. February 13, 2026. by Sara Fischer. Axios
ByteDance pledges to prevent unauthorized ip use on AI video tool after Disney threat. Article. February 15, 2026. Reuters
Netflix threatens ByteDance with ‘Immediate litigation’ over Seedance 2.0 AI clips. Article. February 17, 2026. by Gene Maddaus. Variety
Warner Bros. blasts ByteDance for AI videos of Superman, Batman and ‘Game of Thrones.’ Article. February 17, 2026. by Gene Maddaus. Variety
Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise AI video backlash prompts ByteDance to add guardrails. Article. February 18, 2026. by Ron Schmeizer. Forbes
MiniMax: Studios sue China-based “Hollywood in your pocket” video AI platform for copyright infringement. Article. September 16, 2025. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor
Motion Picture Association calls for ByteDance to cease Seedance 2.0 infringing activity. Press release. February 12, 2026. Motion Picture Association
SAG-AFTRA statement on Seedance 2.0. Press release. Febrary 13, 2026. SAG-AFTRA
