ByteDance responds to Hollywood copyright backlash with tighter Seedance safeguards

ByteDance

• ByteDance to tighten safeguards on Seedance 2.0 AI video tool
• Hollywood studios allege copyright violations by Seedance 2.0
• Disney and Paramount sent cease-and-desist letters to ByteDance

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Chinese technology company ByteDance has said it will tighten safeguards on its latest artificial intelligence video-generation tool following mounting criticism from Hollywood studios and entertainment trade bodies over alleged copyright violations.

The tool, called Seedance 2.0, allows users to generate short, realistic videos using simple text prompts. Since its release, however, clips circulating online have appeared to feature copyrighted characters and the likenesses of well-known celebrities, prompting accusations that the system lacks adequate protections against misuse.

In a statement shared with CNBC, a ByteDance spokesperson said the company respects intellectual property rights and acknowledged concerns raised by the entertainment industry. “We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” the spokesperson said.

The response follows sharp criticism from Hollywood organisations, including the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents major studios such as Netflix, Paramount Skydance, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney. Late last week, the MPA issued a strongly worded statement calling on ByteDance to immediately halt what it described as “infringing activity”.

MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said Seedance 2.0 had engaged in the “unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale” within a single day of use. He argued that launching an AI service without meaningful safeguards undermines copyright law and threatens jobs across the creative industry.

According to Axios, Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, accusing it of reproducing and distributing Disney-owned intellectual property through the AI tool without permission. The letter reportedly claims Seedance 2.0 was effectively packaged with a pirated library of copyrighted characters, presenting them as if they were public-domain assets.

Disney has previously taken action against AI companies over unauthorised use of its characters, including issuing warnings to Character.AI last year. At the same time, the company has shown a willingness to work with AI firms under licensing arrangements, having signed a deal with OpenAI that allows limited use of characters from franchises such as Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel in OpenAI’s Sora video generator.

Paramount Skydance has also reportedly sent a similar cease-and-desist notice to ByteDance, adding to the legal pressure. Together, the complaints highlight growing tensions between AI developers and rights holders as generative video tools become more powerful and accessible.