Chinese tech giant ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, is facing intense scrutiny and legal challenges over its new AI video generation tool, Seedance 2.0. Launched on February 12, the platform, which can create 15-second video clips from text prompts akin to OpenAI’s Sora, has drawn both praise for its realism and widespread condemnation for allegedly infringing on intellectual property rights. Following a barrage of cease-and-desist letters from major Hollywood studios and strong statements from industry guilds, ByteDance has publicly committed to strengthening safeguards to prevent the unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

The controversy escalated when Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter, accusing ByteDance of a “virtual smash-and-grab” of its intellectual property. Disney alleged that Seedance 2.0 was pre-loaded with a “pirated library” of copyrighted characters from iconic franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars, treating the valuable IP “as if Disney’s coveted intellectual property were free public domain clip art.” This powerful accusation highlighted the core concern of many creators and studios.

Paramount quickly followed suit with its own legal action, issuing a cease-and-desist letter targeting both Seedance 2.0 and ByteDance’s image generator, Seedream. Gabriel Miller, Paramount Skydance’s head of intellectual property, leveled accusations of “blatant infringement” concerning a wide array of properties, including popular shows and films like “South Park,” “Star Trek,” “The Godfather,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Dora the Explorer,” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” This demonstrated the broad scope of perceived infringement across various studio libraries.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA), representing giants like Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, and Netflix, issued a strongly worded statement through its chair and CEO, Charles Rivkin. Rivkin asserted that Seedance 2.0 had engaged in “unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale” in a single day. He criticized ByteDance for launching a service “without meaningful safeguards against infringement,” arguing that this disregards established copyright law and threatens millions of American jobs that depend on creative works.

Adding to the chorus of criticism, SAG-AFTRA condemned the “blatant infringement” that extends to “the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses,” emphasizing that such actions are unacceptable and undermine the livelihood of human talent. The Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition backed by Hollywood unions and creative organizations, characterized the platform as nothing less than “an attack on every creator around the world,” underscoring the deep concern within the creative community.

The backlash was further fueled by numerous AI-generated videos circulating online that prominently featured recognizable Hollywood properties. A particularly widely circulated example, posted by filmmaker and VFX artist Rauiri Robinson, depicted ‘Tom Cruise’ and ‘Brad Pitt’ fighting on a rooftop, quickly going viral and prompting the MPA’s initial condemnation. Other reported examples included Star Wars characters Anakin Skywalker and Rey engaged in lightsaber combat, and Spider-Man battling Captain America in New York, clearly illustrating the ease with which users could generate infringing content.

The controversy has also transcended Hollywood borders, with the Japanese government initiating an investigation into potential copyright violations after AI-generated videos of popular anime characters appeared online. In response to the growing global pressure, ByteDance told BBC News that it “respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0.” The company stated it is “taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” though it has yet to disclose the specifics of these safeguards or the training data powering Seedance 2.0. Previously, ByteDance had paused the functionality allowing users to upload images of real people, a move that predates the current wave of studio complaints but indicates an ongoing effort to manage user-generated content.