The Motion Picture Association has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, urging the company to halt copyright infringement on its Seedance 2.0 AI platform. The letter demands the removal of studio intellectual property from the training dataset and the implementation of safeguards against generating copyrighted material. ByteDance has responded by affirming its respect for copyrights and plans to strengthen protections.
The Motion Picture Association (MPA), representing seven major studios, escalated its concerns over AI-driven copyright issues by sending a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance on Friday, February 20, 2026. The letter was addressed to ByteDance's office in Culver City, California, where the company, also known for owning TikTok, operates in the U.S.
This action follows an initial MPA statement on February 12, 2026, calling on ByteDance to immediately cease infringement related to Seedance 2.0, an AI platform that generates short video clips combining voice and visuals for a cinematic effect. Six of the seven MPA member studios have also issued their own cease-and-desist letters to ByteDance.
MPA general counsel Karyn Temple emphasized in the letter that ByteDance's assurances are insufficient. "Our ongoing investigation and review of social media platforms continues to reveal examples of Seedance producing material that clearly infringes on our members’ rights," she wrote. The letter highlights specific instances of infringement, including AI-generated videos featuring characters such as Shrek, SpongeBob, Darth Vader, Deadpool, and elements from “Stranger Things,” as well as a Spider-Man fight sequence shared on X.
Temple described these as "systemic infringement rather than inadvertence," stating, “In other words, Seedance’s copyright infringement is a feature, not a bug.” One X user posted about a Spider-Man video, writing, “The best part about Seedance 2.0 is they don’t give a shit about copyright laws and users can make cool stuff like this. Imo this is great for IP distribution.”
ByteDance responded with a brief statement: it respects copyright protections and will take steps to strengthen existing safeguards. The MPA seeks a detailed response by February 27, 2026, outlining specific actions taken.
This unified front among studios, including previously less vocal ones like Sony, Netflix, and Paramount, contrasts with earlier AI disputes. Disney and Universal have been particularly aggressive, having filed a major lawsuit against Midjourney last year. The MPA letter notes potential challenges in litigating against a China-based company, referencing OpenAI's response to similar criticism over its Sora 2 platform, which included guardrails and a partnership with Disney.