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Hollywood organizations are pushing back against a new AI video model called Seedance 2.0, which they say has quickly become a tool for “blatant” copyright infringement.
Bytestep, the Chinese company that recently finalized a deal to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations (it retains a stake in the new joint venture), launched Seedance 2.0 earlier this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, the updated model is currently available to Chinese users of Bytestep’s Jianying app, and the company says it will soon be available to global users of its CapCut app.
Similar to tools such as OpenAI’s Sora, Seedance allows users to create videos (currently limited to 15 seconds in length) by just entering a text prompt. And like Sora, Seedance quickly drew criticism for an apparent lack of guardrails around the ability to create videos using the likeness of real people, as well as studios’ intellectual property.
After one X user posted a brief video showing Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, which they said was created by “a 2 line prompt in seedance 2,” “Deadpool” screenwriter Rhett Reese responded, “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”
The Motion Picture Association soon issued a statement from CEO Charles Rivkin demanding that Bytestep “immediately cease its infringing activity.”
“In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale,” Rivkin said. “By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, Bytestep is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs.”
The Human Artistry Campaign — an initiative backed by Hollywood unions and trade groups — condemned Seedance 2.0 as “an attack one very creator around the world,” while the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA said it “stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0.”
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Seedance videos have apparently featured Disney-owned characters such as Spider-Man, Darth Vader, and Grogu, better known as Baby Yoda, prompting the company to take legal action. Axios reports that Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing Bytestep of a “virtual smash-and-grab of Disney’s IP”and claiming the Chinese company is “hijacking Disney’s characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters.”
Disney isn’t necessarily opposed to working with AI companies — while it has reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google over similar issues, it’s signed a three-year licensing deal with OpenAI.
Variety reports that Paramount followed suit by sending Bytedance a cease-and-desist letter on Saturday. The letter claimed that “much of the content that the Seed Platforms produce contains vivid depictions of Paramount’s famous and iconic franchises and characters” and that this content “is often indistinguishable, both visually and audibly” from Paramount’s films and TV shows.
TechCrunch has reached out to Bytestep for comment.
This post was originally published on February 14, 2026. It has been updated to include information about Paramount’s cease-and-desist letter.
Source: techcrunch.com
How do you justify the unjustifiable? How do you get to the point where you feel morally in the right while you slaughter unarmed men, women and children? These are the questions director Emin Alper seeks to explore in “Salvation,” a film notionally about the longtail fallout from a land dispute, but more elementally about how violence happens. Set in a Turkish village high in the mountains, the director’s fifth film — and his first since the 2022’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry “Burning Days” — follows the trajectory of Mesut (an excellent and tragically believable Caner Cı̇ndoruk), whose personal insecurities set him on a path leading to a massacre.
Mesut has always played second fiddle to his handsome younger brother, Sheikh Ferit (Feyyaz Duman). Their grandfather was an important man, seen by some as a savior of their village. He was their Sheikh, a local cultural and religious leader, and he passed this status on, not, as might have been expected, to the older brother, but to the younger. Meanwhile, Mesut’s wife is pregnant with twins and he is troubled by anxious dreams and thoughts concerning her sexual life. In the village, men mutter about their land being taken over by outsiders.
Psychologically, then, Mesut is on the back foot. Sexual jealousy, sibling rivalry and a broader feeling of impotence in the face of potential threats from outside combine in a potent brew that, lacking the ear of a good therapist, isn’t going to turn out well for anyone. That’s not to say that Alper falls into the fallacy of laying everything that subsequently happens at one man’s door: On the contrary, this is a smart study of a community.
Cı̇ndoruk gives a nimble performance as Mesut: At first, he plays a kind of low-status grudge-bearer, the sort of person who might be characterized as a boot-licker if there were any boots around that he deemed worthy of licking. Into this vacuum of leadership, as he perceives it, some chosen one must surely arrive. Lo and behold, he realizes it is he himself who must be reluctantly entrusted with the mission to protect his people. As he convinces others of his cause, he blossoms, and we see in his manner and bearing a man stretching himself out and becoming accustomed to power.
One of “Salvation’s” greatest strengths is in capturing a subjective sense of the threat that the villagers collectively feel themselves to be facing. The signs, portents and omens come thick and fast, almost to the point of caricature: a burned field, uncanny storms, a sleepwalking child, a pair of identical twin girls herding goats, and theoretical religious discussions of the possibility of having confused the roles of Cain and Abel. The mood is one of permanent unease, with all the characters bubbling away together in a melting pot of distrust.
Alper strategically avoids creating a clean delineation between dream worlds and reality. This deliberate decision to not formally telegraph dream sequences has an intentionally disorienting effect: We can’t tell when a character is experiencing a dream or vision until something explicitly unreal takes place. While we might not sympathize with Mesut as he foments specific acts of violence, this all-pervading atmosphere of psychological threat helps us see how he convinces himself of his mission. This apposite demonstration of religious convictions being used to prop up concrete actions, spurred on and given fuel by tribalist rivalries, elevates “Salvation” from a merely striking mood piece to an astute psychological study.
Sadly, the film isn’t mere fiction. In 2009, 44 people were murdered at a party in the Mardin Province of Turkey by masked assailants using automatic weapons and hand grenades. The attack left over 60 children orphaned. In taking this event as his starting point, Alper has created a film that is both culturally specific, and has plenty of wider applicability as well. There are, for instance, obvious parallels in “Salvation” with acts of violence committed by Israel in Gaza.
But the relevance of “Salvation” is even broader: The rhetoric of politicians like Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin, or of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement that “we risk becoming an island of strangers,” plays on the same primal fears that allow Mesut to secure support for his bloodthirsty strongman tactics. As has been seen with ICE agents in the streets of Minneapolis, Mesut’s followers are very happy to indulge themselves in the sensation that they are noble soldiers defending themselves and their loved ones from foreigners, when they are in fact the aggressors.
The fact that “Salvation” is not overtly and literally about ICE, Palestine or any of the aforementioned political figures may provide useful cover for any festivals, curators or distributors frustrated by institutional complicity or timidity in confronting these issues directly in their programming. This is simply a film inspired by a tragedy in rural Turkey that occurred nearly 20 years ago. And if audiences or critics wish to reach for contemporary parallels drawn from other examples of reprehensible violence? Why, then they may do so.
Source: variety.com
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Michael Voepel
Multiple Authors
In a typical year, many major WNBA free agency moves would likely be resolved by now, with clearer team needs. but, this offseason has been anything but ordinary as negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players’ union continue.
As a result, most players not bound by rookie contracts are entering free agency, and there are also two expansion teams with no current players. so, similar to our previous mock draft from November, we’re forecasting draft picks without vital context regarding the teams players will join.
What we have now, which was absent before, is substantial season data to assess current college seniors eligible for the draft. (Draft-eligible juniors are excluded from this mock draft).
ESPN’s WNBA mock draft retains the No. 1 pick: UConn guard Azzi Fudd, who appears poised to reunite with former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, with the Dallas Wings.
Championship Week and the NCAA tournament can influence draft rankings, as seen with players boosting their stock through March Madness success. This is something to monitor leading up to our next mock draft.
UConn | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
UConn aims for the seventh perfect season in program history, largely thanks to Fudd, who has helped the 26-0 Huskies remain undefeated. She averages 17.5 PPG and has a shooting accuracy of 45.5% (76-of-167) from beyond the arc. Fudd’s capacity to stretch defenses is invaluable in the WNBA, and she is also a solid defender. and, her UConn legacy carries significant weight in a league that features many exceptional former Huskies.
Spain | center | 6-foot-4
Fam, currently averaging 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds for Valencia in Spain, is only 19 but possesses immense potential. There’s no better coach for her than the most seasoned in the WNBA: Cheryl Reeve. even if Fam has professional experience overseas, transitioning to the WNBA will present challenges. It’s unclear when Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier, who underwent ankle surgery in January, will return to form, potentially giving Fam more playing time initially for Minnesota.
TCU | point guard | 5-foot-10 | senior
Miles, the former Notre Dame star now at TCU for her senior campaign, leads the Horned Frogs with 20.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.9 steals while also grabbing 6.8 rebounds per game. One of her standout performances came Thursday, where she scored a career-high 40 points and made 10 three-pointers in a victory against Baylor. even if she could have entered the WNBA in the 2025 draft, she opted for another year to enhance her skills and confidence.
UCLA | center | 6-foot-7 | senior
Betts has experienced ups and downs early in the season but has since shown consistency. She averages 16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks for a Bruins team that stands at 24-1 and leads the Big Ten at 14-0. Discussions on the role of traditional centers in the WNBA are ongoing, yet Betts possesses enough positive attributes to likely secure a place among the lottery picks.
LSU | shooting guard | 5-foot-10 | senior
even if Johnson’s scoring average has dipped from last season (13.8 PPG to 18.6), this drop can be attributed to LSU’s strong guard play and more balanced offense. especially, Johnson’s three-point shooting is at a career-high 43.9%, and her energy and defensive effectiveness are major advantages.
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Flau’jae Johnson discusses leadership style ahead of crunch matchup vs. South Carolina
Flau’jae Johnson discusses her leadership and playing alongside MiLaysia Fulwiley before LSU’s showdown vs. South Carolina.
Ole Miss | small forward | 6-foot | senior
McMahon recognizes the need to adapt to a perimeter-oriented role in the WNBA due to her size, as well as improve her three-point shooting. This awareness is part of why she chose Ole Miss to complete her college career after three seasons at Ohio State. In January, McMahon spoke to Andscape’s Ari Chambers about her understanding of polycystic ovary syndrome and its impact on her. She attributes her enhanced performance this season to that understanding, currently averaging a career-high 19.9 PPG.
0:16
Cotie McMahon drops in the smooth basket
Cotie McMahon drops in the smooth basket
France | small forward | 5-foot-11
Angloma, currently playing for Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration (BMLA) in France, is enjoying a fantastic season, averaging 16.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. She won’t turn 20 until June and likely possesses the versatility to play either the small forward or shooting guard positions in the WNBA.
Spain | point guard | 5-foot-8
Martin, who recently celebrated her 20th birthday, was part of the Spanish squad that reached the EuroBasket championship last summer. Presently, she averages 14.8 PPG and 4.6 APG for Perfumerias Avenida in Spain, and she was named MVP of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in 2023.
UCLA | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
Kneepkens is an integral part of the UCLA guard unit that has kept the Bruins undefeated in the Big Ten. Known for her long-range shooting, she transferred to UCLA this season from Utah and for her career, she has a three-point shooting percentage of 43.7%. Currently, she is shooting at an impressive 45.9%. Her scoring average of 13.1 PPG has seen a decline from her career-best 19.3 last season, largely due to a significant increase in talent surrounding her with the leading Bruins.
South Carolina | center | 6-foot-6 | senior
Okot began her basketball journey in her mid-teens but has quickly become adept. After competing collegiately in her home country of Kenya, she played with Mississippi State last season before transferring to South Carolina. There is potential for the Gamecocks to request an additional year of eligibility for her. If she enters this year’s draft, she holds considerable promise, averaging 13.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.
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Madina Okot goes coast to coast with a steal and layup
Madina Okot gets in the passing lane and scores a fast-break basket for the Gamecocks.
Duke | shooting guard | 6-foot | senior
Jackson has been a cornerstone of Duke’s robust defense throughout her career. plus, she excels at three-point shooting; having made 212 treys for the Blue Devils, including 50 this season. She also averages a career-best of 4.6 assists as a senior.
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Ashlon Jackson sinks clutch triple for Duke
Ashlon Jackson is left wide open and drains a 3-pointer, extending Duke’s late lead over Louisville.
UCLA | point guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
Rice is enjoying a stellar final season with the Bruins, averaging 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals, while boasting shooting rates of 50.8% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range. All these statistics represent career highs. Her ability to execute in critical moments has proven invaluable.
South Carolina | shooting guard | 5-foot-8 | senior
After leading Division I with an impressive 25.2 PPG last season, Latson opted to join a more prominent program, transferring from Florida State. even if her numbers have dipped slightly, and an ongoing leg injury has affected her performance, she still averages 15.5 PPG. There’s potential for her draft stock to rise again during the postseason.
TCU | small forward | 6-foot-3 | senior
A native of Oviedo, Spain, Suarez finds herself at her third collegiate institution, having played two seasons at Tennessee and another two at Cal. but, her transition to TCU for her final year may significantly boost her draft stock, as she has improved her three-point shooting (52-of-144, 36.1%) and developed into a more versatile scorer at her height. Approaching her 24th birthday in May, she is older than most draft hopefuls, but her extensive college background appears to be an asset.
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Marta Suarez sinks a 3 for TCU
Olivia Miles finds Marta Suarez, who sinks a 3-pointer for TCU.
UCLA | shooting guard | 6-foot-0 | senior
Jaquez joins the ranks of Bruins projected for the first round. Alongside guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and forward Angela Dugali, she is a strong contender for the draft. Currently, she averages 14.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.0 APG. Similar to her teammates Kneepkens and Rice, Jaquez shoots better than 40% from beyond the arc (43.4%).
Variety is exclusively unveiling a new clip from “Light Pillar,” the feature debut from Chinese writer-director Xu Zao, which is in the Berlin Film Festival‘s Perspectives section.
Dubai-based company Cercamon recently acquired worldwide sales rights to the production, which screens in competition for the best first feature award in the strand.
“Light Pillar” follows a solitary janitor working in a deteriorating film studio who becomes absorbed in a virtual romance before his illusion collapses. When a production crew arrives to film an alien invasion movie on the crumbling backlot, the janitor decides to vanish alongside the studio itself.
The genre-crossing romantic sci-fi drama with touches of comedy uses hand-drawn animation to portray the protagonist’s mundane reality while live-action sequences depict the virtual realm to where he escapes.
“‘Light Pillar’ combines romance, science fiction, and comedy,” Xu said in a statement. “though the story takes place in the future, its themes come from our lives today. In life, love and happiness are sometimes things we chase, but often they are already around us – we just don’t notice them because we’re distracted by everything else.”
The director explained his unconventional visual strategy: “Visually, the film mixes animation and live action to show two different worlds. Unlike the usual approach, animation here represents our protagonist’s real life, while live-action footage shows the virtual world. For him, reality feels flat, while the virtual world looks vivid, rich, and full of new possibilities.”
Da Peng stars as the janitor and serves as executive producer on the film, which Lu Xiaowei produces.
Xu holds a master’s degree from the Beijing Film Academy’s School of Fine Art. His 43-minute animated work “No Changes Have Taken In Our Life” premiered at Rotterdam in 2023 and collected the Golden Dove for animated film at DOK Leipzig plus the Grand Prize at Japan’s Image Forum Festival. Beyond directing, Xu also wrote the screenplay and created the storyboards for “Light Pillar.”
Watch the clip here:
Source: variety.com
You’ll want to read our extensive guide on How to Choose the Right Laptop, but for the basics, you’ll want to decide what category of laptop you need. Most people should buy a 13-inch or 14-inch laptop, and spending around $750-$1,000 is a good place to start. You should expect a laptop around this price to get good battery life, have a decent screen, perform well enough for basic tasks, and have a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. You should also expect at least 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Anything more than that gets into premium territory where you’re paying for higher specs, more performance, or extra features. If you want something with a discrete GPU for either gaming or creative workflows, you’ll need to spend more than this.
A laptop like the Dell 14 Plus is the ideal example of what you can get while shopping in this price range. You can even find laptops with OLED panels, up to one terabyte of storage, depending on how good the discounts happen to be. I would consider anything under $750 to be a cheap laptop, and it will therefore come with some significant compromises, especially around the quality of the panel and the touchpad. Fortunately, laptops that use the Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip get great battery life, despite often falling under $750 in price.
Here’s a list of important specs to consider:
CPU: For thin and light laptops, I would recommend one of the Snapdragon X, X Plus, or X Elite chips. They get the best battery life and performance for their class of laptop. As an alternative, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V is also quite good. The next generation is coming soon though, with all eyes on Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 (also known as Panther Lake, which is rolling out now and is really great) and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 chips.
GPU: As of now, Intel’s Lunar Lake chips, such as the Core Ultra 7 258V, have the best integrated graphics. For discrete options, you’ll want to pick something with one of the latest Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs, such as the RTX 5060. The biggest leap in performance is between the RTX 5070 and the RTX 5070 Ti, which increases VRAM to 12 GB.
RAM (or memory): Stick with at least 16 GB if you can. Since the advent of the Copilot+ designation, it has become the new standard. You’ll even find laptops as cheap as $600 that have 16 GB of memory. Gamers and content creators should upgrade to 32 GB if possible, though the ongoing memory shortage may make this more expensive in the near future.
Storage: Similar to memory, many laptops have moved to 512 GB as the new standard, and you’ll find lots of affordable laptops with 512 GB as the base configuration. Upgrading to one or two terabytes, where possible, will make your life that much easier, especially since many laptops don’t offer expandable storage.
Display: Laptops are usually categorized by screen size, with 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch being the most common. You’ll want to consider size, resolution, refresh rate, and panel type here.
Portability: Outside of display size, the thickness of the chassis and weight are the primary factors here, determining how portable a laptop is to travel with. Other dimensions are important too, but more often than not, that is determined by the screen size.
Ports: Many laptops are limited to just USB-C and headphone jack these days, with some exceptions where USB-A or HDMI are included. Make sure your laptop has what you need, or else you’ll need a USB Hub or laptop docking station to get more ports or to increase external display support.
Source: www.wired.com