The rising popularity of Seedance 2.0 has drawn sharp criticism from Hollywood. On February 14, 2026, The Walt Disney Company issued a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging that the company had used Disney’s intellectual property without authorization or compensation to train and develop its AI-powered video generation model, Seedance 2.0. The letter further claimed that Seedance 2.0 was preloaded with a pirated database containing copyrighted Disney characters from franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel, effectively "hijacking" these characters through unauthorized replication, distribution, and creation of derivative works. Disney highlighted that numerous infringing videos featuring its copyrighted characters as central figures had been widely shared on social media platforms. Additionally, the company accused Seedance of leveraging its copyrighted materials without permission to generate profits through commercial services.

Disney has a track record of taking decisive action to protect its intellectual property. For example, following a cease-and-desist notice sent to Google in December of the previous year, Google removed dozens of AI-generated videos depicting Disney characters without proper authorization. Despite these enforcement efforts, Disney emphasized its willingness to engage in partnerships with AI companies under fair and mutually beneficial terms. This stance was exemplified by its landmark agreement with OpenAI last year, which established Disney as the first major content licensing partner for OpenAI’s social video platform, Sora. The deal also included a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, underscoring Disney’s commitment to exploring innovative collaborations while safeguarding its creative assets.