March 14, 2026 — Beijing — TikTok parent company ByteDance has suspended the global launch of its video-generation AI model Seedance 2.0 after a series of copyright disputes with major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms, according to a report by The Information.
The suspension halts plans for a mid-March worldwide rollout, though the model remains available in China where it launched earlier this year. Reuters could not independently verify the report, and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Details of the Suspension
ByteDance’s legal team is addressing potential legal issues, while engineers are implementing safeguards to prevent the model from generating infringing content, the report stated. This follows ByteDance’s February pledge to take steps to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property on Seedance 2.0.
ByteDance suspends launch of video AI model after copyright disputes, as reported, stems from concerns over the model’s ability to produce hyperrealistic videos featuring copyrighted characters. The model processes text, images, audio, and video inputs for professional uses in film, e-commerce, and advertising.
Hollywood’s Copyright Concerns
In February, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing ByteDance of training Seedance 2.0 on Disney characters without permission. Viral videos generated in China included depictions of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.
Disney said ByteDance had pre-packaged Seedance with a pirated library of copyrighted characters from franchises including Star Wars and Marvel, portraying them as public-domain clip art.
The Economic Times echoed the suspension report, citing the same sources.
Model Background and Reception
Unveiled in February, Seedance 2.0 went viral in China and drew praise from tech executives, including Elon Musk, for generating cinematic storylines from simple prompts. It has been compared to models from DeepSeek, rivaling those of Anthropic and OpenAI.
ByteDance suspends launch of video AI model after copyright disputes amid ongoing tensions, as Hollywood seeks to curb AI-generated infringing content. The Information’s report, cited by Reuters, relied on two people with direct knowledge.
Reporting by Reuters’ Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru.