# Seedance 2.0

**Type:** AI video generation model  
**Parent Company:** ByteDance  
**Launch:** February 12, 2026  
**Status:** Active in China, global rollout paused  

## Overview

Seedance 2.0 is ByteDance's AI video generation model that creates 15-second video clips from text prompts. The platform launched in China on February 12, 2026, but faced immediate legal challenges from major Hollywood studios when user-generated deepfakes of copyrighted characters went viral.

## Timeline

- **2026-02-12** — Seedance 2.0 launches in China with text-to-video generation capability for 15-second clips
- **2026-02-13** — Disney sends cease-and-desist letter for "stocking its Seedance 2.0 platform with a pirated library of copyrighted characters"
- **2026-02-16** — ByteDance pledges to "strengthen current safeguards" and "prevent unauthorized use of IP and likeness by users"
- **2026-02-20** — Motion Picture Association sends collective industry cease-and-desist letter on behalf of all major studios
- **2026-03-16** — ByteDance pauses global rollout pending IP safeguard implementation; domestic China launch continues

## Legal Challenges

Within days of launch, user-generated deepfakes went viral including Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt fight scenes, alternative endings to Stranger Things, and characters from dozens of major franchises. This triggered coordinated legal action from:

- Disney
- Paramount (South Park, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek, TMNT, The Godfather, Dora, Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- Warner Bros. Discovery
- Netflix
- Sony Pictures
- Motion Picture Association (collective industry action)

## Sources

- Deadline, "Disney Blasts ByteDance With Cease And Desist Letter Over Seedance 2.0 AI Video Model" (2026-02-13)
- TechBriefly coverage (2026-03-16)