Burbank, California — Warner Bros. has raised serious concerns against ByteDance, accusing the company of copyright infringement linked to its AI video service, Seedance 2.0. The major film studio claims that the Chinese firm has allowed the creation of user-generated content that misappropriates its beloved characters, leading to potential harm to its intellectual property.
In a letter sent Tuesday to John Rogovin, ByteDance’s general counsel, Warner Bros. pointed to Rogovin’s past experience in defending the rights of iconic characters like Superman and Batman. Wayne Smith, Warner Bros.’ executive vice president of legal affairs, underscored the importance of these characters to the studio’s identity and urged immediate action against the alleged violations.
“These characters are fundamental to our brand and heritage,” Smith stated, emphasizing the need for ByteDance to halt the unauthorized usage of these trademarks. Warner Bros. called for the company to stop training its AI models using the studio’s characters and to establish stronger regulatory measures to prevent further instances of infringement.
Seedance 2.0, launched by ByteDance last week, has quickly generated excitement with its enhanced video generation capabilities. However, within days, social media platforms were awash with videos showcasing unlikely character showdowns, such as battles between Batman and Spider-Man, and alternate scenarios from popular series like “Game of Thrones.”
The Motion Picture Association and SAG-AFTRA swiftly voiced their disapproval of the platform, while Disney and Paramount followed suit with cease-and-desist requests. In response to mounting pressure, ByteDance announced its intention to enhance its safeguards to reduce unauthorized uses of intellectual property.
Despite this commitment, Warner Bros. remains skeptical. The studio argued that ByteDance’s focus on user behavior shifts responsibility away from the company’s design decisions that allowed such content to flourish.
Smith contended that the infringement issues stem from ByteDance’s platform design, which he argues intentionally included copyrighted characters. He pointed to various Seedance videos circulating on social media, featuring characters from franchises like “The Matrix,” “Harry Potter,” and “Rick and Morty,” which illustrate the scale of the problem.
While Warner Bros. acknowledged ByteDance’s recent steps to limit the use of its characters in AI-generated videos, the studio questioned why these measures were not implemented prior to the platform’s rollout. Smith’s letter noted, “The ease with which these guardrails can be established raises concerns about the lack of foresight in protecting intellectual property.”
As the conflict between Warner Bros. and ByteDance unfolds, its implications for content creators, technology companies, and legal standards within the entertainment industry will be closely monitored.