Industry Backlash Against Seedance 2.0

Hollywood organizations are pushing back against a new AI video model called Seedance 2.0, which they say has quickly become a tool for “blatant” copyright infringement. ByteDance, the Chinese company that recently finalized a deal to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, launched Seedance 2.0 earlier this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, the updated model is currently available to Chinese users of ByteDance’s Jianying app, and the company says it will soon be available to global users of its CapCut app.

Similar to tools such as OpenAI’s Sora, Seedance allows users to create videos (currently limited to 15 seconds in length) by just entering a text prompt. The model quickly drew criticism for an apparent lack of guardrails around the ability to create videos using the likeness of real people, as well as studios’ intellectual property.

High‑Profile Examples and Reactions

One X user posted a brief video showing Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, claiming it was created with “a 2 line prompt in seedance 2.” The “Deadpool” screenwriter Rhett Reese responded, “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.” The Motion Picture Association soon issued a statement from CEO Charles Rivkin demanding that ByteDance “immediately cease its infringing activity.” Rivkin said Seedance 2.0 “has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale” and that the service operates “without meaningful safeguards against infringement.”

The Human Artistry Campaign—an initiative backed by Hollywood unions and trade groups—condemned Seedance 2.0 as “an attack on creators around the world.” The actors’ union SAG‑AFTRA said it “stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by ByteDance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0.”

Disney’s Legal Action

Seedance videos have apparently featured Disney‑owned characters such as Spider‑Man, Darth Vader, and Grogu (better known as Baby Yoda). Disney has sent a cease‑and‑desist letter accusing ByteDance of a “virtual smash‑and‑grab of Disney’s IP,” claiming the Chinese company is “hijacking Disney’s characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters.” While Disney has taken legal steps against ByteDance, it is not opposed to working with AI companies in general; the studio has signed a three‑year licensing deal with OpenAI.

TechCrunch has reached out to ByteDance for comment, but no response has been reported.

Usado: News Factory APP - descubrimiento de noticias y automatización - ChatGPT para Empresas