Hundreds of Twitch streamers are seeing takedowns of their contents without explanation as to why as the platform issues some DMCA strikes in one fell swoop.
The word came from a Twitter user, Rod “Slasher” Breslau, who refers to the issue as a “bloodbath” via a tweet.
the Twitch DMCA bloodbath has begun, as hundreds of partnered streamers have received emails from Twitch as DMCA takedown notifications pic.twitter.com/zoIoI7Q7Xp
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) October 20, 2020
Making for the great mystery is indeed as to why there is no given reason about the strike, an issue which greatly compounds the number affected by the initiative. It’s a move that many did not see coming, especially the streamers who were suddenly committing offense without prior awareness.
Same old stunt
DMCA takedowns are nothing new on the internet. Companies that are overzealous in their craft are often its driving force, leading to “illicit” contents abruptly disappearing from the face of the internet. Throughout the internet annals, netizens have seen certain files come and go arising from such political stunt.
The scope of intellectual property rights is broad as such, especially in the US, that a DMCA complaint is encompassing in all media forms. Nintendo, whose platforms and IPs are often the subject of “infringement” by the “modding” community, is one example of such a company.
But while streamers are in no way in the same league as the hobbyists—or profiteers—in the modding scene, it appears that infringements apply in a live streaming format just the same. Twitch’s unilateral decision to enact on the takedowns without a word about the step; no one among the affected truly knows why.
If Twitch partner Trobsmonkey is to be heard, though, he claims that “record companies can issue strikes in live content even if you delete VODs.”
A little too extreme
Being one of the biggest streaming platforms on the internet, it’s hard not to compare Twitch with YouTube when it comes to its policy, which in comparison, is a little too extreme, considering that there’s no way for the accused to make an appeal.
In reiteration, here’s how a Twitch DMCA takedown notification looks like:
“We recognize that by deleting this content, we are not giving you the option to file a counter-notification or seek a retraction from the rights holder. In consideration of this, we have processed these notifications and are issuing you a one-time warning to give you the chance to learn about copyright law and the tools available to manage the content on your channel.”
However, if lawyer and Twitter persona, Noah Downs, has a say over the matter, it’s that what Twitch is doing is completely legal. Albeit a little too “airtight.” One which he also claims as broader in scope than what many would think, going back to the statement of what DMCA encompasses.
Image used courtesy of raphaelsilva/Pixabay