WASHINGTON—The Motion Picture Association and the Chinese tech giant ByteDance have reached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a shared framework to protect intellectual property on generative AI video and image models like Seedance and Seedream, which is offered by TikTok, the TikTok USDS Joint Venture, CapCut, Dreamina and others.

ByteDance founded and is the owner of TikTok outside the U.S.; it currently owns 19.9% of the social media platform’s U.S. business. It launched Seedance 2.0 in February of 2026 and the first iterations of Seedream in 2025.

In February the MPA, which is backed by the U.S. studios and major streaming players, sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance in connection with Seedream 5.0 Lite and Seedance 2.0.

That led to “constructive conversations” between ByteDance and the MPA, the two parties said.. More recently, the launches of Seedream 5.0 Pro and Seedance 2.5 have reflected improved IP protections.

“Today’s agreement illustrates our belief that copyright is a cornerstone of the film and television industry – and reinforces our commitment to protect creative content,” said MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin. “For the past several months, we have had constructive engagement with ByteDance to implement meaningful guardrails on Seedance and Seedream, and this MOU reflects our shared determination to continue our work together to further fortify those guardrails.”

“ByteDance respects the intellectual property rights that underpin creative industries around the world, and we believe responsible innovation in AI goes hand in hand with meaningful protections for rightsholders,” said John Rogovin, general counsel, ByteDance. “We appreciate the productive engagement with the MPA and its members as we continue to strengthen safeguards across our generative AI services. This MOU establishes an important framework for continued collaboration as the technology evolves, across a variety of products and platforms.”

The MOU is an important step forward in establishing that IP can and should be protected in the generative AI space, and it formalizes meaningful progress in recent months to further strengthen safeguards on ByteDance’s platforms, the MPA said.

The MPA’s member studios are: Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.