ByteDance has reportedly paused plans to release its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator globally following growing legal and industry concerns about intellectual property.
According to a report from The Information, the Chinese technology giant had initially planned to roll out the AI video model worldwide in mid-March. However, the company is now delaying the launch as engineers and legal teams work to address potential copyright and licensing issues.
The model was first introduced in China in February. Shortly after its release, several short AI-generated clips created with Seedance 2.0 began circulating online and quickly went viral. One widely shared video depicted Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt — an example that drew strong backlash from the entertainment industry.
The viral content triggered concerns in Hollywood about how AI tools could replicate the likeness of actors and copyrighted material without authorization. Some filmmakers and writers warned that such technology could disrupt creative industries if not properly regulated.
Several major studios reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to ByteDance soon after the videos surfaced. Lawyers representing The Walt Disney Company accused the company of carrying out what they described as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of the studio’s intellectual property.
In response to the criticism, ByteDance said it would introduce stronger safeguards to protect copyrighted material and intellectual property within the Seedance platform.
The delay suggests the company is taking additional time to refine those protections before making the AI video tool available to users outside China.
ByteDance — best known as the parent company of TikTok — has not yet publicly commented on the reported delay.