ByteDance To Halt Seedance 2.0’s AI Rip-Offs After Legal Disney Threat

TikTok-owner ByteDance has promised to improve “safeguards” on its Seedance 2.0 AI model after a full-throated backlash from Hollywood about copyright theft.

In a statement shared with Deadline, ByteDance said it would work to prevent users from generating videos based on Hollywood intellectual property.

ByteDance’s statement follows the Chinese tech giant receiving cease and desist letters from Disney and Paramount, calling for an immediate halt to IP plundering.

Disney accused ByteDance of stocking its Seedance 2.0 “with a pirated library of Disney’s copyrighted characters.” Paramount said the AI model had produced “vivid depictions of Paramount’s famous and iconic franchises and characters.”

ByteDance told Deadline that the company “respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0.” It continued: “We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users.”

Launched last week, Seedance 2.0 unleashed a slew of authentic-looking deepfakes based on the copyright of Hollywood film and TV studios. A Tom Cruise vs Brad Pitt fight scene went particularly viral, while other popular videos have included alternative endings to series like Stranger Things.

The Motion Picture Association said: “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. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity.”

The Human Artistry Campaign, which counts SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America among its members, said: “The launch of Seedance 2.0 is an attack on every creator around the world. Stealing human creators’ work in an attempt to replace them with AI-generated slop is destructive to our culture: stealing isn’t innovation.

“These unauthorized deepfakes and voice clones of actors violate the most basic aspects of personal autonomy and should be deeply concerning to everyone. Authorities should use every legal tool at their disposal to stop this wholesale theft.”