ByteDance said it will strengthen safeguards on its new AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, after facing backlash from major Hollywood studios that accused the tool of enabling copyright infringement.
The company confirmed in a statement to CNBC that it is “taking steps to strengthen current safeguards” to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likenesses. The response follows public complaints that viral videos created with Seedance appear to feature copyrighted characters and celebrity likenesses without permission.
Seedance 2.0 allows users to generate realistic videos from text prompts. But within days of its launch, entertainment industry groups began raising alarms. The Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents studios including Netflix, Paramount Skydance, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney, issued a forceful statement demanding ByteDance immediately halt what it described as infringing activity.
“In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale,” MPA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said. He added that launching a service without “meaningful safeguards against infringement” disregards established copyright law and threatens millions of American jobs tied to the creative economy.
The pressure quickly escalated beyond public statements. According to Axios, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance on Friday, alleging that Seedance distributed and reproduced its intellectual property without authorization. The notice reportedly claimed the service was effectively pre-packaged with a pirated library of copyrighted characters, presenting them as if they were public domain assets. Variety reported over the weekend that Paramount Skydance also issued a cease-and-desist letter making similar accusations.
ByteDance did not detail what new safeguards it plans to implement, but the company said it respects intellectual property rights and acknowledged the concerns surrounding the tool.
The dispute highlights the mounting legal and commercial risks facing AI companies developing generative media tools. As video models grow more sophisticated, they increasingly brush up against established entertainment franchises and celebrity likeness rights. Unlike abstract debates about AI training data, this clash involves globally recognized brands and characters with active enforcement teams and substantial legal resources.
At the same time, the response from Hollywood reflects a nuanced stance toward AI. While studios are aggressively protecting their intellectual property, they are also exploring partnerships. Disney, for example, has previously sent cease-and-desist letters to AI startups over unauthorized character use, including Character.AI. Yet it has also signed a licensing deal with and invested in OpenAI, allowing the company to use characters from franchises such as Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel within its Sora video generator.
That contrast underscores the broader industry dynamic: studios appear willing to engage with AI platforms that operate within licensing frameworks, but quick to challenge tools they believe bypass those agreements.
For ByteDance, strengthening safeguards is likely as much about protecting future partnerships as it is about addressing immediate criticism. Seedance has attracted significant online attention, but long-term adoption in professional or commercial contexts may depend on convincing rights holders that the system won’t undermine existing intellectual property protections.
The episode also adds to a growing list of copyright disputes tied to generative AI, particularly in visual and video formats. As models expand beyond text into highly realistic media creation, legal scrutiny from rights holders is intensifying.
Whether ByteDance’s updated safeguards satisfy Hollywood remains to be seen. But the swift reaction from major studios makes clear that as AI video tools scale, copyright enforcement is moving just as quickly alongside them.
This analysis is based on reporting from CNBC.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
