Netflix has sent a strong legal warning to ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, demanding an immediate stop to certain activities involving its popular AI video tool called Seedance 2.
The streaming giant claims that Seedance is being trained on huge amounts of copyrighted material owned by Netflix without any permission.
Lawyers for the company pointed out examples where the AI generates short clips that closely copy scenes, characters, and even specific dialogue from hits like Stranger Things and the upcoming animated series KPop Demon Hunters.
In the cease-and-desist letter delivered recently, Netflix lawyers described Seedance as functioning like a fast-moving engine for unauthorized copies.
They say the system takes protected video footage and turns it into new AI-created videos that look and feel too similar to the originals, which violates copyright rules.
ByteDance has been promoting Seedance 2.0 as an advanced generative video model capable of creating high-quality clips from text prompts or images.
Some demo videos shared online appear to recreate recognizable moments from Netflix shows, sparking quick backlash from content owners.
Netflix emphasized that this is not the first time they’ve had to address AI companies using their library without licenses.
The letter gives ByteDance a short deadline to confirm they will remove all Netflix-owned material from Seedance training data and stop any further generation of content based on it.
Industry watchers see this move as part of a growing wave of Hollywood studios pushing back against AI tools that rely on scraping vast internet libraries full of protected films and shows.
Netflix joins others like Disney and Warner Bros who have issued similar warnings or started lawsuits in recent months.
A ByteDance spokesperson said the company is reviewing the letter and remains committed to respecting intellectual property while advancing responsible AI development. No further details on their planned response were shared yet.
The dispute highlights the tricky balance between innovation in AI video creation and protecting the rights of creators and studios in an era where generative tools can mimic almost anything with enough data.
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