MPA Condemns ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 for Lacking Copyright Protections

PANews, February 14: According to Variety, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) condemned ByteDance’s Chinese AI video generation service Seedance 2.0 for大规模 unauthorized use of U.S. film and television copyrighted content within one day of its launch, accusing it of “engaging in large-scale infringement” and lacking effective copyright protections, and demanding an immediate cessation of such activities. Previously, the MPA issued a similar statement when OpenAI launched Sora 2, after which OpenAI enhanced its copyright protections and reached an authorization agreement with Disney. The report notes that Seedance 2.0 has already generated numerous videos incorporating elements from franchises such as “Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on a rooftop,” “Spider-Man,” “Titanic,” “Stranger Things,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “Shrek,” and rights holders may pursue takedown notices and legal action. In addition to the MPA, Disney has also sent a cease-and-desist letter; SAG-AFTRA, the Human Artistry Campaign, and the Copyright Alliance have successively condemned the lack of copyright safeguards. The Japanese Animation Film Culture Alliance (NAFCA) has also inquired with ByteDance’s TikTok subsidiary in Japan regarding copyright issues.