Major Hollywood trade associations have issued a formal complaint against the developers of Seedance 2.0, a recently released artificial intelligence video generation model. The organizations allege the technology is being used for widespread copyright infringement, escalating existing tensions between the creative industries and AI companies.
Industry Bodies File Complaint
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing major film studios and record labels, submitted the complaint to the U.S. government. They contend that Seedance 2.0 can generate videos that closely mimic copyrighted films, television shows, and music videos. The groups describe the tool’s use as “blatant” infringement, arguing it undermines the economic value of original creative works.
According to the filing, the AI model was trained on vast datasets of video content, likely without proper licensing or permission from rights holders. This practice, the industry bodies state, violates intellectual property laws and sets a dangerous precedent for future generative AI systems. The complaint calls for regulatory scrutiny and potential legal action to address the issue.
Developer Response and Technical Capabilities
The team behind Seedance 2.0, a research collective, has not yet issued a detailed public statement regarding the specific allegations. In previous technical documentation, the group has emphasized the model’s advanced capabilities in creating high-fidelity, coherent video from text prompts. The technology represents a significant leap in generative AI, moving beyond static images to dynamic video sequences.
AI ethicists note that the core dispute revolves around the legal concept of “fair use” in copyright law. Technology companies often argue that training AI on publicly available data constitutes transformative use, a position frequently challenged by content creators. The Seedance 2.0 case brings this debate to the forefront for the video medium, which involves more complex copyrights than text or images.
Broader Context of AI and Copyright
This conflict is not isolated. Similar legal battles are ongoing concerning AI image generators and large language models. Several lawsuits filed by authors, visual artists, and news organizations allege that their copyrighted works were used without consent to train commercial AI systems. The Hollywood complaint adds considerable weight to this growing legal and regulatory challenge facing the AI industry.
Regulators in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, are currently examining how existing intellectual property frameworks apply to generative AI. The outcome of these deliberations could mandate significant changes in how AI companies source their training data, potentially requiring licensing agreements or the use of fully authorized datasets.
Potential Implications and Next Steps
The immediate consequence of the complaint is increased regulatory attention on Seedance 2.0 and similar video generation projects. U.S. government agencies, including the Copyright Office and the Patent and Trademark Office, are expected to review the submission as part of their ongoing AI policy initiatives. This could lead to official guidance or recommendations for Congress.
Legal experts anticipate that if a resolution is not reached through dialogue or policy, the dispute may progress to litigation. A court ruling on this matter could establish a critical legal precedent for the permissible use of copyrighted material in training advanced AI models. The creative industries and AI developers are now awaiting formal responses from both the implicated developers and relevant government authorities, which will shape the next phase of this confrontation.
Source: GeekWire
