18 August 2026

ByteDance agrees to copyright protections for video AI models

• ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, signed a formal agreement with the Motion Picture Association to build film and TV copyright protections into its Seedance and Seedream video generation models.
• The deal followed a cease-and-desist letter over a viral deepfake of actor Tom Cruise, and covers protections across TikTok and third-party applications using these models.
• The agreement addresses only ByteDance's models; other Chinese AI companies like Kling and Alibaba operate similar video generation tools without equivalent copyright commitments.

How it was covered

The Rundown AIRowan Cheung

ByteDance reached a formal framework with the Motion Picture Association to implement film and TV copyright protections into its Seedance and Seedream models, months after receiving a cease-and-desist over a viral Tom Cruise deepfake. The newsletter notes this covers multiple platforms including TikTok and third-party apps, but emphasizes the challenge remains with other Chinese labs like Kling and Alibaba.