ByteDance's AI video generator Seedance 2.0 caused a stir last week: Users generated videos of Tom Cruise against Brad Pitt, Wolverine against Thanos, and Darth Vader clips. Just days after launch, the biggest Hollywood studios are going to war against the TikTok parent company. Disney accuses the TikTok conglomerate of a "virtual raid."
From Viral to Illegal in 48 Hours
On Thursday, ByteDance launched Seedance 2.0. On Friday, Disney sent the first letter.
"ByteDance offers a piracy library of Disney's copyrighted characters, as if the coveted intellectual property were in the public domain."
Other players are also taking legal action:
- Paramount: Reports "blatant violations" of brands like South Park, Star Trek, and The Godfather. The AI-generated clips are visually and acoustically barely distinguishable from the originals.
- Japan investigates: The Japanese government has launched an official investigation into copyright violations of manga and anime characters (including Detective Conan).
The OpenAI Paradox
Interesting: Disney dealt with OpenAI completely differently. When Sora 2 produced similar Disney videos in September, there was no lawyer's letter - but a deal.
| ByteDance / Seedance | OpenAI / Sora | |
|---|---|---|
| Disney's Reaction | Cease-and-Desist in 48h | $1 billion investment |
| Result | Copyright lawsuit threatens | 3-year licensing agreement |
| Access to IP | Blocked | 200 Disney characters |
The difference: OpenAI asked first. ByteDance didn't.
ByteDance's Emergency Brake
The platform has already reacted: Since Sunday, users "temporarily cannot upload faces of real people as references."
The voice cloning function was also restricted after Chinese users complained that the tool could reconstruct their voices from photos.
The China Survival Guide for Western Businesses
Entity setup, WeChat strategy, hiring your first local team. 12+ years on the ground in Shanghai.
