Sony Pictures has officially joined the chorus of Hollywood studios speaking out against Seedance 2.0, a Chinese video platform that has sparked controversy for its use of AI-generated copyright infringement. In a strongly worded cease and desist letter sent to ByteDance, the parent company of Seedance, Sony demanded the immediate removal of its valuable intellectual property, which includes popular titles such as “Breaking Bad” and the “Spider-Verse” films, from the Seedance AI training data.
Jill Ratner, the general counsel of Sony Pictures Entertainment, expressed concern over the lack of copyright protection measures in Seedance 2.0, stating that the infringements by ByteDance appear to be willful. Sony is the fifth major studio to raise objections directly with ByteDance, following similar actions from Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Netflix. Despite ByteDance’s assurances to enhance copyright safeguards, the studios remain unconvinced and continue to push for immediate action.
Ratner emphasized Sony’s zero-tolerance policy towards copyright violations and urged ByteDance to implement effective and robust measures without delay. The emergence of AI-generated clips from Seedance 2.0 on social media platforms has further fueled the studios’ concerns, with users creating unauthorized content featuring popular characters and storylines from various films and TV shows.
The Motion Picture Association, representing the aforementioned studios along with Amazon and Universal Studios, was the first to publicly condemn ByteDance for its infringement practices. Netflix recently issued a stern warning of “immediate litigation” if ByteDance fails to comply with their demands. In addition to Seedance 2.0, Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal are also pursuing legal action against other AI video platforms, such as Midjourney and MiniMax.
However, the legal process against these Chinese-based companies has proven to be challenging, with difficulties in serving the defendants. Court filings suggest significant delays in serving legal documents via the Chinese Ministry of Justice under the Hague Convention, potentially prolonging any legal action against ByteDance. Despite these obstacles, the studios remain steadfast in their efforts to protect their intellectual property rights and hold AI platforms accountable for copyright infringement.
