Major Hollywood entities are voicing strong opposition to Seedance 2.0, a new AI video model, alleging it rapidly facilitates extensive copyright infringement.
ByteDance, the Chinese corporation recently completing a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations (while maintaining a share in the new venture), introduced Seedance 2.0 this week. The Wall Street Journal reports that this upgraded model is presently accessible to users in China via ByteDance’s Jianying app and is slated for upcoming global release through its CapCut app.
Much like AI tools such as OpenAI’s Sora, Seedance enables users to generate videos, currently capped at 15 seconds, merely by inputting text prompts. Also akin to Sora, Seedance swiftly garnered criticism due to an apparent absence of safeguards concerning the creation of videos featuring real individuals’ likenesses and studios’ intellectual property.
An X user shared a short video depicting Tom Cruise battling Brad Pitt, claiming it was produced with just “a 2 line prompt in seedance 2.” In response, “Deadpool” screenwriter Rhett Reese expressed concern, stating, “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”
The Motion Picture Association quickly released a statement from CEO Charles Rivkin, demanding ByteDance “immediately cease its infringing activity.”
Rivkin asserted, “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.” He added, “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.”
The Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition supported by Hollywood unions and trade organizations, denounced Seedance 2.0 as “an attack on every creator around the world.” Similarly, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA declared its support for studios, “condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0.”
Reports indicate that Seedance-generated videos have included Disney-owned characters like Spider-Man, Darth Vader, and Grogu (Baby Yoda), leading Disney to initiate legal proceedings. Axios states that Disney issued a cease-and-desist letter, accusing ByteDance of a “virtual smash-and-grab of Disney’s IP” and alleging the Chinese firm is “hijacking Disney’s characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters.”
Disney is not inherently against collaborating with AI firms; while it has reportedly issued a cease-and-desist to Google for comparable concerns, it has simultaneously secured a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI.
TechCrunch has contacted ByteDance for a statement.