ByteDance and MPA Agree on Stricter AI Copyright Safeguards

ByteDance and the Motion Picture Association announced on Monday, August 17, 2026, a formal agreement to implement stricter copyright safeguards across the Chinese technology company's generative artificial intelligence models. The memorandum of understanding, or MOU, covers ByteDance's video-generation model, Seedance, and its image-generation model, Seedream, which are integrated into platforms including TikTok, CapCut, and Dreamina.

The agreement follows a cease-and-desist letter the MPA sent to ByteDance in February 2026, after the release of Seedance 2.0. At that time, the Hollywood trade group accused the tool of enabling systemic copyright infringement, citing viral AI-generated videos featuring unauthorized likenesses of actors like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, as well as content depicting copyrighted characters from franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars. Major studios including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Sony had raised individual concerns.

MPA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin stated that the agreement "illustrates our belief that copyright is a cornerstone of the film and television industry and reinforces our commitment to protect creative content."...