Hollywood Studios Issue Cease-and-Desist Orders Against ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 AI Video Generator

Major Hollywood entertainment organizations have initiated legal action against ByteDance's recently launched AI-powered video generation platform, Seedance 2.0, citing widespread copyright infringement concerns. The Chinese technology conglomerate, which recently completed the divestiture of TikTok's U.S. operations while maintaining equity participation in the resulting joint venture, deployed Seedance 2.0 to market earlier this week.

According to industry reports, the enhanced model is currently accessible to Chinese users through ByteDance's Jianying application, with planned global rollout via the CapCut platform. The system operates similarly to competing solutions such as OpenAI's Sora, enabling users to generate video content up to 15 seconds in duration through natural language text prompts.

The platform has drawn immediate criticism from entertainment industry stakeholders due to apparent insufficient safeguards preventing unauthorized reproduction of celebrity likenesses and proprietary intellectual property. A demonstration video circulated on social media platforms depicted AI-generated content featuring actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, reportedly created using minimal prompt engineering, prompting concerns from industry professionals including screenwriter Rhett Reese.

Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin issued an official statement demanding immediate cessation of infringing activities: "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. 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, supported by entertainment industry unions and trade organizations, characterized Seedance 2.0 as "an attack on every creator around the world." SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, issued a formal statement supporting studio positions and condemning the platform's facilitation of unauthorized content generation.

Disney has escalated legal measures by transmitting a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging a "virtual smash-and-grab of Disney's IP." The communication accuses the company of "hijacking Disney's characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters." User-generated content on the platform has reportedly featured Disney-owned properties including Spider-Man, Darth Vader, and Grogu (Baby Yoda).

It should be noted that Disney maintains selective partnerships with AI technology providers—the company has established a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI while simultaneously pursuing legal action against Google for comparable copyright violations.

Paramount Global followed with its own cease-and-desist letter, asserting that "much of the content that the Seed Platforms produce contains vivid depictions of Paramount's famous and iconic franchises and characters" and that generated content "is often indistinguishable, both visually and audibly" from the studio's film and television productions.

ByteDance has not yet issued an official response to these allegations.

Sources:
Seedance 2.0 Official Page
Wall Street Journal Report
Motion Picture Association Statement
SAG-AFTRA Statement
Axios: Disney Cease-and-Desist Report
Variety: Paramount Legal Action