👌 MPA and ByteDance Reach Agreement on Intellectual Property Protection
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Chinese conglomerate ByteDance have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at protecting the film and television industry's intellectual property.
The agreement regulates the use of copyrighted content and actors’ likenesses across the company’s generative AI products, including its Seedance and Seedream video and image generators.
The signing marks the resolution of a high-stakes conflict. In February, the MPA sent a formal cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, sharply criticizing the launch of its Seedance 2.0 model. At the time, users were generating viral clips featuring digital clones of Hollywood stars, including Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, prompting the Association to denounce what it called a “widespread disregard for copyright law.”
The two sides eventually pivoted to a constructive dialogue. Algorithmic adjustments are already reflected in the releases of Seedance 2.5 and Seedream 5.0 Pro, available across the ByteDance ecosystem, including TikTok, CapCut, and the Dreamina platform.
“Today’s agreement reinforces our conviction that copyright is the cornerstone of the film industry. Over the past few months, we have worked productively with ByteDance to implement effective safeguards,” said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the MPA.
John Rogovin, ByteDance’s General Counsel, added that the company respects rights holders’ interests and believes responsible AI innovation must go hand in hand with robust protection mechanisms.
The ByteDance precedent highlights Hollywood’s current playbook for managing generative AI risks: transitioning from aggressive legal threats and cease-and-desist notices to collaborative development of technical guardrails against unauthorized deepfakes and IP generation.
Source: Variety
