Seedance 2.0 sparks a backlash in the film studio industry over AI-generated clips - Disputes over music rights return to figure skating at Milan-Cortina 2026.

Seedance 2.0 sparks a backlash in the film studio industry over AI-generated clips 

In mid-February 2026, Seedance 2.0, an AI video generation tool developed by ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, became popular on social media due to its ability to produce short clips with a commercial cinema aesthetic. There was interest not only in its technical quality, but also in the type of content it started producing: videos featuring characters, worlds, and faces that are easily recognisable as belonging to well-known franchises and stars. For instance, there were imagined clashes, such as Luffy versus Goku, and impossible showdowns between actors like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. 

This type of content quickly set off alarm bells in Hollywood. The issue for the studios is not just that users are making edits inspired by famous works, but that the tool appears capable of reproducing copyrighted content with notable precision. This raises two important questions: what data was used to train the system, and what safeguards are in place to prevent it from generating content that is too similar to existing works or characters? 

The first formal step was taken by Disney, who sent ByteDance a cease-and-desist letter challenging the creation of videos containing recognisable elements from franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars. ByteDance responded shortly afterwards, stating that it respects intellectual property and will strengthen its safeguards, although it did not explain what specific changes it intends to make. 

Following Disney's lead, other reactions followed. The Motion Picture Association requested clearer and verifiable measures from ByteDance, arguing that general statements are insufficient when content replicating recognisable worlds, characters, and scenes continues to be produced. Likewise, performers have expressed concern that tools like Seedance may facilitate the unauthorised use of their features or likenesses in synthetic videos that can be distributed on a mass scale. 

In this context, Sony Pictures joined other major studios to request the removal of its intellectual property from the training data, as well as the incorporation of effective controls by design into the platform. It is worth noting that the major studios are also concerned about the economic implications. If an AI can generate scenes, characters or sequences that closely resemble their copyrighted works, it becomes more difficult to control licensing, derivative products and commercial exploitation. 

So far, the dispute has unfolded through cease-and-desist letters and public pressure, with no notable lawsuits related to Seedance 2.0 having been filed yet. Nevertheless, this case once again highlights the fact that the more realistic AI becomes at imitating third-party fictional worlds, the greater the demand for transparency regarding its training, and the greater the pressure to impose effective limits on its outputs. 

Disputes over music rights return to figure skating at Milan-Cortina 2026. 

While music is an essential part of figure skating, at Milan-Cortina 2026 it has also become a legal issue. Two incidents during the Games have once again brought an increasingly relevant question to the forefront: what permissions are needed to use a song in an Olympic competition that is broadcast on a global scale? 

For decades, figure skating relied mainly on instrumental and classical music, which was far easier to use as much of it is in the public domain. This changed in 2014 when the ISU, the International Skating Union, permitted the use of lyrics in music. Since then, skaters have increasingly turned to contemporary songs and film soundtracks, which are subject to more complex copyright rules. The most notable precedent occurred at the Beijing 2022 Games, when the music group Heavy Young Heathens sued the American pair Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier for using the group's version of “House of the Rising Sun” in a competition. 

The first case in Milan–Cortina involved Spanish national champion Tomás-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, who had competed throughout the season with a short programme based on a medley from the film Minions. However, just days before the Games, he was informed that he would not be permitted to perform it at the Olympic event, leaving him with no choice but to prepare an alternative at very short notice. Universal Studios, the studio behind the Minions franchise, had objected to the music, even though it had previously been processed through ClicknClear , the platform used by many athletes and federations to manage music licences. After several days of uncertainty, Universal withdrew its objection, authorising the Spanish skater to compete with the routine that included Pharrell Williams’s song “Freedom”. 

A few days later, a second case came to light involving American skater Amber Glenn, an Olympic gold medallist. Glenn had used The Return by Canadian artist Seb McLellan, who performs as CLANN, in her free skating programme for two years. The dispute arose when the musician posted on social media that he had not known his work was being used in the Olympic routine. Glenn responded that it was a communication issue and that the matter had been resolved. Following these disputes, Universal Music Group and ClicknClear announced a global agreement in February to facilitate licensing in choreographed sports such as figure skating.