ByteDance Seedance 2.0 Sparks Hollywood Backlash Over AI Video Copyright Concerns

ByteDance Seedance 2.0 Sparks Hollywood Backlash Over AI Video Copyright Concerns

ByteDance's new AI video generation tool Seedance 2.0 is facing intense criticism from Hollywood studios just days after its launch, with major entertainment companies accusing the Chinese tech giant of enabling mass copyright infringement.

The Tool That Has Hollywood Worried

Seedance 2.0, released earlier this month through ByteDance's Jianying app for Chinese users, allows users to create realistic videos from text prompts. The tool is expected to roll out globally through ByteDance's CapCut app soon. Similar to OpenAI's Sora, Seedance can generate videos up to 15 seconds in length from simple text descriptions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the model has quickly gained popularity among Chinese users, with viral videos spreading across social media platforms. However, many of these videos feature recognizable copyrighted characters from major film studios.

Hollywood Responds

The backlash was swift and forceful. The Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents major studios including Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney, issued a statement demanding ByteDance "immediately cease its 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," said MPA CEO Charles Rivkin. "By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs."

Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance on Friday, accusing the company of a "virtual smash-and-grab of Disney's IP." The letter alleged that ByteDance had "hijacked Disney's characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters." Viral Seedance 2.0 videos have featured Disney properties including Spider-Man, Darth Vader, and Grogu (Baby Yoda).

Paramount followed with its own cease-and-desist letter, claiming that "much of the content that the Seed Platforms produce contains vivid depictions of Paramount's famous and iconic franchises and characters" that are "often indistinguishable, both visually and audibly" from the company's original content.

Industry Reactions

The entertainment industry unions and organizations quickly joined the criticism. The Human Artistry Campaign, backed by Hollywood unions and trade groups, condemned Seedance 2.0 as "an attack on every creator around the world." SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, stated it "stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance's new AI video model Seedance 2.0."

One particularly viral example showed a fake video of Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, created with just a two-line prompt. "Deadpool" screenwriter Rhett Reese responded on social media: "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us."

ByteDance's Response

ByteDance has acknowledged the concerns and stated it will strengthen safeguards on the platform.

"ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users."

This is not the first time Disney has confronted AI companies over copyright. The company has sent similar cease-and-desist letters to Google and Character.AI. However, Disney has also signed a three-year licensing deal with OpenAI that allows the use of Disney characters from Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel in Sora.

What This Means for the AI Video Industry

The Seedance 2.0 controversy highlights the ongoing tension between AI video generation capabilities and intellectual property rights. As tools like Seedance, OpenAI's Sora, and Runway become increasingly capable of producing photorealistic video, questions about how these tools handle copyrighted material remain largely unresolved.

For now, Hollywood has made clear it will not tolerate what it sees as unauthorized use of its creative properties. Whether ByteDance's promised safeguards will satisfy the studios remains to be seen.

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Sources:

• •TechCrunch - Hollywood isn't happy about the new Seedance 2.0 video generator
• •CNBC - ByteDance says it will add safeguards to Seedance 2.0 following Hollywood backlash