Bold takeaway: Major studios are clashing with ByteDance over AI-generated clips that imitate iconic characters, signaling a high-stakes battle over how AI and copyrighted IP intersect online.
Warner Bros. has joined a chorus of studios accusing ByteDance of “blatant infringement” related to its new AI video service. The claim centers on user-generated content that appears to recreate Superman, Batman, and other beloved properties without proper authorization. Warner Bros.’ legal team sent a letter on Tuesday to ByteDance’s general counsel, John Rogovin, who previously served as Warner Bros.’ general counsel. The correspondence notes Rogovin’s prior role in defending these very copyrights.
Wayne Smith, Warner Bros. Studios’ executive vice president of legal, stressed that these characters are central to the company’s business. He warned that ByteDance is effectively infringing on properties the company has spent years protecting. Warner Bros. urged ByteDance to stop training its models on these characters and to establish safeguards to curb further infringement.
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, rolled out Seedance 2.0 last week, touting a “substantial leap in generation quality” compared with earlier versions. In short order, social platforms filled with cinematic-tinged clips featuring crossovers like Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt, Batman vs. Spider-Man, and Superman vs. Thanos. Some posts even offered alternate endings to films and TV shows, including the HBO hit Game of Thrones.
Industry groups and major studios responded quickly: the Motion Picture Association and SAG-AFTRA condemned Seedance, while Disney and Paramount issued cease-and-desist letters. ByteDance later pledged to add safeguards aimed at preventing unauthorized use of IP and likenesses as work toward a resolution continues. Warner Bros., however, rejected that approach, arguing that the problem isn’t only the end users but ByteDance’s underlying design choices.
In a pointed assertion, Warner Bros. stated that users aren’t the root cause; they are building on an infringement framework ByteDance deliberately created by shipping Seedance with Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted characters pre-loaded. The letter also references posts on X (formerly Twitter) showing Seedance videos featuring characters from The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Rick and Morty, and Game of Thrones, along with fight scenes involving Batman, Catwoman, and Superman.
While Warner Bros. acknowledges that ByteDance appears to be taking steps to block text prompts involving its characters, the company notes this doesn’t excuse the broader issue. The letter concludes that guardrails were not present at Seedance’s launch and questions why they weren’t implemented from the outset, given the potential for widespread infringement.
Thought-provoking questions for readers: Do tech platforms bear primary responsibility for policing AI-generated content, or should creators and users be accountable as well? How should consent, fair use, and transformative works be balanced when AI tools can replicate famous characters at scale? Share your perspective in the comments.
