Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt’s AI-Generated Fight Video Stuns Hollywood

Paramount, Skydance, and Disney Send Formal Complaints to ByteDance Over Unauthorized Use of Content.

Major Hollywood studios have accused Chinese tech giant ByteDance of systematic copyright infringement. The company, which owns platforms like Seedance and Seedream, is allegedly using copyrighted material without permission from rights holders to train its generative AI models.

Joint Protests from Hollywood Studios

On February 15, 2026, Paramount Skydance sent an official letter to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo demanding a halt to these unlawful practices. The document cites iconic franchises including South Park, Star Trek, The Godfather, and Dora the Explorer.

The Walt Disney Company had previously filed a similar protest. Disney’s lawyers alleged that ByteDance has created a "pirated library" featuring characters from Star Wars and Marvel, treating them as "free public domain content."

"ByteDance’s virtual looting of intellectual property is deliberate, pervasive, and absolutely unacceptable," David Singer, representing Disney, told Variety.

The Viral Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt Video

The flashpoint for this controversy was a video created on the Seedance 2.0 platform, featuring a photorealistic fight scene between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt on a rooftop. The clip’s realism caused alarm within the industry and went viral on social media.

Experts note that while such videos showcase the power of generative AI, they simultaneously threaten the rights of actors and franchise owners.

Industry Reaction and Next Steps

This week, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) issued a formal condemnation of ByteDance's actions, demanding an immediate stop to the copyright violations. The Chinese company has not yet issued an official response.

Experts predict that the coming months could see joint lawsuits from Hollywood studios and increased regulatory scrutiny on the use of generative AI in the entertainment industry.