Paramount Warns ByteDance Over AI Model Concerns
Paramount Skydance has formally raised concerns regarding ByteDance’s AI models, Seedance and Seedream. The Hollywood studio joins Disney in criticizing the tech giant for alleged infringement of intellectual property rights.
Cease and Desist Action Against ByteDance
In a recent cease and desist letter, Paramount’s attorney demanded that ByteDance immediately take action to protect its intellectual property. The letter was addressed to Liang Rubo, CEO of ByteDance and highlights several key demands:
- Prevent violations of Paramount’s intellectual property rights.
- Remove instances of Paramount’s content from ByteDance’s platforms.
Concerns Over AI Content Generation
Paramount’s concerns stem from how ByteDance markets its Seed Platforms. These platforms, designed for image and video generation, have produced content that allegedly infringes on Paramount’s well-known franchises. The law firm representing Paramount argues that much of this content depicts characters and properties protected by copyright and trademark laws.
- South Park
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Star Trek
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- The Godfather
- Dora the Explorer
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
These examples represent just a portion of the many properties cited in the cease and desist letter. Paramount asserts that its intellectual property was used without consent to train the models behind these tools, violating legal standards.
Context of Growing Tensions
This complaint comes in the wake of increasing scrutiny surrounding the Seed platforms, particularly following the latest version, Seedance 2.0. Similarly, Disney sent its own cease and desist letter last week regarding violations related to its iconic franchises, including Star Wars and Marvel.
Industry Response
Additional industry voices have also emerged against ByteDance. The Motion Picture Association and the Human Artistry Campaign issued statements condemning the company for the alleged breaches of intellectual property. This growing backlash indicates a significant concern within Hollywood regarding the use of artificial intelligence in content creation.
As discussions continue, it remains clear that the conflict between traditional entertainment companies and tech giants poses complex legal and ethical questions for the future of content generation.
