ByteDance to add safeguards to Seedance 2.0 following Hollywood backlash
Sign at ByteDance offices in Beijing, China, on June 30, 2023.
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Chinese tech giant ByteDance said it would strengthen protections for a new AI video production tool following complaints of copyright theft from entertainment giants.
The Sedance 2.0 tool allows users to create realistic videos based on text prompts. But viral videos shared online show copyrighted characters and celebrity likenesses, raising intellectual property concerns in the US
“ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard of concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” a company spokesperson said in a statement shared with CNBC.
“We are taking steps to strengthen existing protections while working to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property and likenesses by users,” the spokesperson added.
ByteDance’s response comes later I get reactions and harsh warnings From Hollywood groups such as the Motion Picture Association (MPA), a trade association representing major Hollywood studios netflix, Paramount Skydance, sony, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery And Disney.
The group issued a strong press release late last week demanding that ByteDance immediately cease what it called “infringing activity.”
“In a single day, Chinese AI service Sedance 2.0 engaged in large-scale unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works,” MPA president and CEO Charles Rivkin said in a statement.
“ByteDance is ignoring well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and supports millions of American jobs by launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement.”
According to a report Disney sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance on Friday from Axios, accusing the company of distributing and duplicating its intellectual property without permission through its new AI tool.
The legal notice alleged that ByteDance effectively pre-packaged Sedance with a pirated library of copyrighted characters and depicted them as if they were public domain thumbnails.”
Disney has also sent cease and desist letters to artificial intelligence companies in the past. In September, the company warned AI startup Character.AI to stop unauthorized use of its copyrighted characters.
Disney signed a licensing agreement with and invested in OpenAI while trying to protect its intellectual property. The deal allows the AI company to use Disney characters from Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel franchises in its Sora video creator.
Variety noted that Paramount Skydance also sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance, making similar accusations. reported throughout the weekend.
