Netflix latest to threaten action against ByteDance over AI videos
What's the story
Netflix has threatened to take "immediate litigation" action against ByteDance for allegedly enabling copyright infringement through its Seedance 2.0 AI service. The streaming giant accused Seedance of being a "high-speed piracy engine" that produces "unauthorized derivative works" using its intellectual property (IP). Other studios like Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros. have also condemned this alleged infringement.
Legal action
'Netflix will not stand by...': LeMoine
Netflix has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, demanding the removal of its IP from Seedance's training datasets. The letter also demands the implementation of measures to prevent further infringement. "Netflix will not stand by and watch ByteDance treat our valued IP as free, public domain clip art," wrote Mindy LeMoine, director of litigation at Netflix, per Variety. The company has given ByteDance three days to respond to these demands.
Copyright infringement
'Seedance shows unauthorized depictions of 'Bridgerton' costumes'
Netflix accused ByteDance of infringing its copyrights by creating unauthorized derivative works using characters, worlds, and scripted narratives from popular shows like Stranger Things, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Squid Game, and Bridgerton. The letter claims that videos are circulating on Seedance that show unauthorized depictions of costumes from Bridgerton in a masquerade ball setting. "These outputs mirror specific, narratively important costumes like Sophie Baek's 'Lady in Silver' gown," LeMoine wrote. An AI Stranger Things 5 ending battle scene went viral, too.
Company stance
ByteDance to impose additional guardrails on Seedance
In response to the hullabaloo, ByteDance announced on Monday that it would impose additional guardrails to prevent unauthorized uses of copyrights and actors' likenesses by Seedance users. However, these assurances have not satisfied Warner Bros or Netflix, both of which sent letters on Tuesday. The Netflix letter was the first to explicitly threaten litigation against ByteDance over these copyright infringement allegations.