On February 13, 2026, The Walt Disney Company issued a scathing cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, over its newly released AI video-generation model, Seedance 2.0. Disney accused the Chinese tech giant of a “virtual smash-and-grab” on its intellectual property, alleging that the model was trained on a “pirated library” of Disney’s most valuable assets.
The legal action follows the viral success of Seedance 2.0, which launched on February 12 and immediately flooded social media with ultra-realistic, AI-generated clips featuring characters and actors without authorization.
The Allegations: “Hijacking” the Magic
The letter, sent by Disney’s attorney David Singer (of Jenner & Block LLC) and first reported by Axios, details a widespread pattern of infringement.
- “Pirated Library”: Disney claims Seedance 2.0 was pre-packaged with copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other franchises, treating them as if they were “free public domain clip art.”
- Specific Infringements: The notice cites viral videos generated by the tool featuring Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Grogu (Baby Yoda), and even Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
- Willful Misconduct: The letter describes the infringement as “willful, pervasive, and totally unacceptable,” adding that the unauthorized derivative works discovered within the first 48 hours are likely just “the tip of the iceberg.”
Hollywood’s United Front
Disney is not alone in its outrage. Seedance 2.0 has triggered a massive backlash from the broader entertainment industry:
| Organization | Stance/Action |
| Motion Picture Association (MPA) | Denounced the tool for “massive scale” infringement; demanded an immediate halt to activities. |
| SAG-AFTRA | Condemned the unauthorized use of actors’ voices and likenesses (e.g., Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt) as an attack on livelihoods. |
| Paramount Skydance | Issued its own cease-and-desist on February 14, citing infringement of SpongeBob, Star Trek, and The Godfather. |
| Human Artistry Campaign | Called the launch an “attack on every creator around the world” and urged legal intervention. |
Strategic Context: Licensing vs. “Theft”
The dispute is particularly sharp because Disney recently shifted its AI strategy toward authorized licensing.
- OpenAI Partnership: In early 2026, Disney signed a multi-billion dollar deal with OpenAI to license its characters for the Sora video platform.
- The Conflict: Disney argues that ByteDance is undermining these legitimate commercial deals by offering the same characters for free through a model trained on unlicensed data.
ByteDance’s Response
In a statement issued on February 15, 2026, ByteDance claimed it “respects intellectual property rights” and is taking steps to “strengthen safeguards.” The company has reportedly disabled certain features—such as the ability to upload photos of real people—and introduced identity verification for avatars, though it has not yet formally responded to the copyright claims from the major studios.
“Over Disney’s well-publicized objections, ByteDance is hijacking Disney’s characters… This virtual smash-and-grab is willful, pervasive, and totally unacceptable.” — David Singer, Attorney for Disney.
