Warner Bros. and Netflix Go After TikTok Owner ByteDance Over AI Videos Featuring Superman, Batman, Stranger Things, and More

Hollywood’s biggest studios aren’t playing around when it comes to AI-generated content.

After a wave of viral TikTok videos featuring AI-created versions of Superman, Batman, and characters from hit streaming series like Stranger Thiings and Bridgerton, Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix have officially stepped in.

The studios have sent cease and desist letters to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, accusing it of enabling widespread copyright infringement through its new AI platform, Seedance 2.0.

This fight centers on AI video technology, intellectual property rights, and some of the most iconic characters in pop culture.

The controversy exploded following the launch of Seedance 2.0, ByteDance’s new text-to-video AI model. The tool supports text, audio, video, and image inputs and claims to offer “the most comprehensive multimodal content reference and editing capabilities in the industry.”

That quickly translated into viral clips featuring characters owned by major studios interacting, fighting, and appearing in scenes they were never meant to be part of.

That includes DC icons like Superman and Batman, both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Wayne Smith, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Executive Vice President of Legal, sent a cease and desist letter directly to ByteDance’s General Counsel, John Rogovin, who previously worked at Warner Bros. and WarnerMedia.

In the letter, Smith reminded Rogovin of his past role protecting those same characters and emphasized that Superman and Batman are “the lifeblood of the company.”

Smith wrote: “ByteDance is now engaged in blatant infringement of the very same properties you spent many years protecting – iconic properties that Warner Bros. Discovery, and its many talented artists and filmmakers, have labored to create over the past decades.”

Warner Bros. Discovery joins Disney and Paramount in taking action. The studios have aligned with agencies and industry groups including CAA, the MPA, and SAG-AFTRA to push back against what they see as a growing threat from AI-generated TikTok videos.

ByteDance has already responded to earlier letters from Disney and Paramount. In a statement to the BBC, the company said it “[respected] intellectual property.” It added that it was working to “strengthen current safeguards” to stop “unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users.”

Smith, however, made it clear he doesn’t believe users are the primary issue. In his letter, he wrote that they weren’t “at the root cause of the infringement.” He continued:

“They are merely building on the foundation of infringement already laid by ByteDance as Seedance comes pre-loaded with Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted characters. That was a deliberate design choice by ByteDance.”

Smith acknowledged that ByteDance has taken some steps to block specific prompts tied to Warner Bros. properties. But he questioned why those guardrails weren’t in place at launch. Warner Bros. says it is prepared to take “comprehensive efforts” to stop what it calls ongoing infringement.

Netflix has also entered the fight, and it’s coming in strong.

The streaming giant sent its own cease and desist letter accusing ByteDance of enabling AI-generated clips based on several of its hit series. That includes Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game, and KPop Demon Hunters.

According to Netflix, Seedance 2.0 has generated content that recreates protected elements from its shows. Examples cited include a Bridgerton masquerade scene featuring Sophie Baek’s “Lady in Silver” gown, recreations of the Stranger Things finale, and depictions of the Squid Game “Red Light, Green Light” set.

Netflix also claims the AI produced visuals mimicking the animation style and characters from KPop Demon Hunters.

Mindy LeMoine, Netflix’s director of litigation, wrote in the letter:

“Seedance acts as a high-speed piracy engine, generating mass quantities of unauthorized derivative works utilizing Netflix’s iconic characters, worlds, and scripted narratives.”

The letter further states: “Netflix will not stand by and watch ByteDance treat our valued IP as free, public domain clip art.”

Netflix maintains it has never authorized ByteDance to use its content for AI training or output generation. The company made its stance on fair use crystal clear:

“The use of copyrighted works to create a competing commercial product, especially one that regurgitates the original, is not protected by fair use,” the letter states.

Netflix has reportedly given ByteDance three days to implement safeguards to prevent further infringing material from being generated. The company has also demanded the removal of Netflix-owned works from Seedance’s training datasets and deletion of existing outputs. The letter warns that failure to comply could result in immediate litigation.

This situation is quickly shaping up to be one of the biggest entertainment industry battles over AI-generated content. With Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, and Netflix all pushing back at once, ByteDance is facing serious pressure from some of the most powerful studios in Hollywood.

The rise of AI tools like Seedance 2.0 is opening up wild creative possibilities. But when those tools start recreating Superman flying into battle or reimagining the Stranger Things finale without permission, studios aren’t going to sit back and watch.

This fight over AI video generation, TikTok, and copyrighted franchises is only getting started. And depending on how it plays out, it could shape the future of AI and entertainment for years to come.