Last month, many online viewers were captivated by a stunningly realistic viral AI video featuring a fictional fight scene between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. If you were eager to experiment with this tool yourself, you’ll need to hold off for a bit longer. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has decided to delay the rollout of its new video generation model, Seedance 2.0, which was designed to compete with existing generative AI platforms such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo.
This postponement is attributed to ongoing copyright disputes with major Hollywood studios and streaming services, as reported by The Information. Although the Chinese firm was aiming for a launch in mid-March, those plans have now been halted. ByteDance’s legal team is set to address these copyright issues, while its engineering team will be focused on incorporating measures to prevent the creation of content that might trigger further legal conflicts.
Seedance initially launched in a limited beta phase in February, being accessible only to users of ByteDance’s apps in China. It quickly garnered considerable attention from Hollywood, particularly when several of its generated videos went viral. Deadpool screenwriter Rhett Reese even shared the Cruise and Pitt fight video, commenting, “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.” Other videos, such as one featuring Will Smith battling a spaghetti monster and renditions of the cast of Friends as otters, also gained popularity on social media.
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Notable entities in the entertainment industry have already launched legal actions against Seedance. Just last month, Disney issued ByteDance a cease-and-desist letter, alleging that it had misused copyrighted characters from iconic franchises like Star Wars and Marvel as if they were public-domain content. Similarly, Paramount Skydance has reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, claiming the firm is enabling “blatant infringement” of its intellectual property, including Star Trek, South Park, and Dora the Explorer, as stated in a report by Variety.
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This situation isn’t unique to Seedance. The emerging suite of video-generation tools, much like the broader AI industry, is grappling with challenges regarding their treatment of existing intellectual property. OpenAI’s Sora has begun to offer enhanced rights and granular control to rights holders in 2025 as a response to the overwhelming volume of content derived from established IP—ranging from Pikachu to Oppenheimer.
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I’m a journalist reporting on weekend news. Prior to joining PCMag in 2024, I’ve contributed to BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
Being a PC gamer since the days of installing games from multiple CD-ROMs, I have a deep passion for exploring the intersection of technology and human experience. My reporting covers a range of topics, from cryptocurrency scandals and the art world to conspiracy theories, UK politics, and international affairs.
