The Brief – Tuesday 17 February – Disney & Paramount send TikTok cease-and-desist letters, Mill Media may expand to Leeds and more

🚫 Disney and Paramount have sent TikTok owner ByteDance cease-and-desist letters accusing the company of “blatant infringement” of its copyright with its Seedance video and image generative AI platforms. ByteDance has said it will restrain the tool. (Variety)

🎞️ Warner Bros Discovery is reportedly considering reopening sale talks with Paramount after receiving the hostile bidder’s most recent offer. The conglomerate still has a binding agreement with Netflix, but any reconsideration could restart a bidding war. (Bloomberg)

⚖️ Labour has reportedly dropped anti-SLAPP legislation from its forthcoming package of justice reforms. The legislation would have cracked down on the use of lawfare to bully and gag publishers, but a government source said ministers feared a backlash from lawyers. (The Times)

🎙️ The Guardian is launching a daily US video podcast aimed at competing with The New York Times‘s Daily and NPR’s Up First. The show will be co-hosted by WNYC host Kai Wright and The Guardian‘s Carter Sherman, with a staff of 10 employees. (Semafor)

📰 Local journalism startup Mill Media will launch coverage in Leeds if it gets 500 people to pledge to subscribe to the new title. Leeds would be the seventh brand under Mill Media’s umbrella, and the third to launch on Ghost rather than Substack. (Press Gazette)

👋 TikTok has joined the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) as a digital member. As a full member of the alliance, it will help support 28 advertising self-regulatory organisations across the continent. (TikTok)

🤖 Longtime NPR “Morning Edition” host David Greene is suing Google, alleging its NotebookLM tool’s voice is based on his own. (Washington Post)