MAJORFailure Reference

Vidu Watermark Bleed — Pre-Generation Risk Reference

Technical Classification

Watermark Suppression Failure

Watermark Suppression Failure on Vidu occurs when the model produces output with a visible Vidu/ShengShu watermark despite the user being on a paid tier that should remove it. This typically appears as a faint logo in the corner, a recurring text overlay, or a structural pattern in low-information regions of the frame. It's a clear product defect on paid output.

How to identify this failure

✕Faint Vidu/ShengShu logo visible in corner of paid-tier output
✕Recurring text watermark across frames
✕Pattern visible in dark or uniform background regions
✕Watermark visible despite the user's Pro/Max subscription confirmation
✕Watermark differs across frames (artifact, not legitimate watermark)

Real generation examples

Prompt used

"Aerial drone shot of a coastal cliff, blue ocean, sunny day"

Failure observed

Faint "Vidu" logo visible bottom-right across all frames despite Max-tier account

Prompt used

"Slow zoom on a luxury watch face, studio lighting"

Failure observed

Recurring text pattern visible in 4 corners of the frame, not present in non-watermark Vidu Max output

Documentation strength

If you need to escalate

VERY HIGH — Watermark bleed on a paid Vidu tier is a clear product defect; refunds are routine.

AVA is a pre-purchase prevention tool, not a post-purchase recovery tool. Platforms generally do not guarantee credit refunds for output-quality failures; goodwill credits are at each platform's discretion. The strength rating reflects how well-formed your support ticket can be, not a promised outcome.

Prevention + documentation steps

01
Score your prompt before you generate
Run your prompt through AVA's pre-flight scoring against the Watermark Suppression Failure pattern. Green light = generate. Yellow/red = rewrite using the suggested fix before you commit credits.
02
Capture Generation ID + timestamp if it failed anyway
Find the Generation ID in the URL or share link. Note the exact time when the Watermark Suppression Failure first appears (e.g. "failure first visible at 1.2s"). Timestamped evidence is significantly stronger than a general complaint.
03
Use the correct technical term in your support ticket
Describe this failure as "Watermark Suppression Failure". This term maps to a recognised internal workflow in the support system and routes the ticket to the right team.
04
Submit via the correct support channel
Runway has no direct email intake. Pro+ plan: open the in-app AI Assistant (help widget bottom-right of app.runwayml.com), describe the failure with the technical term, attach evidence. Free/Standard plan: human support isn't available — your channel is Discord #community-help with @On Call - Moderators.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Vidu watermark show on paid-tier output?

A bug in the post-processing pipeline can fail to apply the watermark-suppression layer on paid tier generations. ShengShu has acknowledged this in changelog notes.

How do I prove watermark bleed?

Capture frames at the corners, compare against your tier entitlement. Send Generation ID + account tier + frame evidence to support. AVA does this automatically.

Does ShengShu refund all watermark-bleed cases?

Yes when the user is verifiably on a paid tier. The refund decision is consistently in the user's favor.

Score your prompt

Score your prompt against this failure mode in 30 seconds

Paste your prompt and the platform you intend to use. AVA returns a red/yellow/green score against this specific failure mode plus a concrete rewrite if the risk is high.

Install free All 105 failure modes

AVA Pro · founders' round

$50 for 6 months of unlimited scoring across all failure modes + personal failure-history dashboard. Locks in $13/mo grandfathered after.

Claim $50 founders