Paramount and Disney Demand ByteDance Stop Seedance AI Operations
Paramount Skydance and Disney have made significant allegations against ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, regarding intellectual property infringement. Both companies sent cease-and-desist letters demanding immediate action against ByteDance’s AI platforms, Seedance and Seedream. They claim these platforms are unlawfully utilizing copyrighted media assets from well-known franchises.
Paramount Skydance’s Claims Against ByteDance
Paramount Skydance accuses ByteDance of engaging in blatant infringement of its intellectual property. Key franchises mentioned include:
- South Park
- Star Trek
- The Godfather
- Dora the Explorer
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
Gabriel Miller, the head of intellectual property at Paramount Skydance, highlighted the severity of the situation in his letter to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo. He stated that the AI-generated content produced by ByteDance is often visually and audibly indistinguishable from Paramount’s protected characters and narratives.
Disney’s Concerns Over AI Infringement
Disney’s cease-and-desist letter echoes similar sentiments. It warns that ByteDance’s platforms have made available a pirated collection of Disney’s iconic characters, including those from:
- Star Wars
- Marvel
David Singer, an attorney for Disney, described ByteDance’s actions as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of Disney’s intellectual property. He emphasized that such behavior is unacceptable and called for immediate action.
Industry Response to AI Technology
The controversy surrounding ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 has prompted widespread alarm in Hollywood. The Motion Picture Association has condemned the company’s actions and called for an immediate halt to any infringing activities. Both SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, and the Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition of artistic rights organizations, have publicly denounced the use of AI technologies that infringe upon existing copyrights.
Request for Action Against Infringement
In the cease-and-desist letter, Paramount Skydance outlined two key demands:
- Ensure that no Paramount content is used or created by ByteDance or its Seed Platforms in the future.
- Remove all currently existing infringing content related to Paramount from ByteDance’s platforms.
The letter pointed out that ByteDance’s recent advancements with the Seedance 2.0 tool have made the infringement not just ongoing but increasingly common. In the wake of these developments, both Paramount and Disney are taking a firm stand to protect their valuable intellectual properties from unauthorized exploitation.
