The Motion Picture Association slammed ByteDance’s AI video generator, known as Seedance 2.0, accusing the company of “disregarding” copyright laws and calling on them to “cease its infringing activity.”
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the MPA, issued the statement on Thursday following the launch of Seedance 2.0, which saw one video — where an AI-generated Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fight on a rooftop — go viral on X with over 1.2 million views (and counting.)
“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,” Rivkin said in a statement. “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.”
However, ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, applauded the new model of Seedance, noting it was a “substantial leap in generation quality.”
This is not the first time the MPA has taken an AI video service to task. Back in October, Rivkin issued a similar criticism for OpenAI’s Sora 2, demanding the company take “immediate and decisive action” in addressing copyright infringements that surfaced on the platform.
“Since Sora 2’s release, videos that infringe our members’ films, shows and characters have proliferated on OpenAI’s service and across social media,” Rivkin said at the time. “While OpenAI clarified it will ‘soon’ offer rightsholders more control over character generation, they must acknowledge it remains their responsibility – not rightsholders’ – to prevent infringement on the Sora 2 service. OpenAI needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue. Well-established copyright law safeguards the rights of creators and applies here.”
In the wake of criticism, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the Sora 2 copyright concerns and vowed to make changes that would give rightsholders more copyright control.
Despite the outcry over AI, many in the industry have embraced the evolving technology. Disney, for instance, struck a licensing deal with OpenAI in December to invest $1 billion into the tech company and bring its array of characters to Sora.
