Twitch Streamers Hit With DMCA Claims

Copyright infringement issues have always been a concern for content creators. While communities try their best to keep them in check, sometimes things get out of hand. Streamers on Twitch have been hit with waves of DMCA claims against their clips recently.

The DMCA is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. As long as Twitch meets specific requirements, DMCA grants protection from copyright infringement liabilities. The two conditions being the company taking down such content and issuing a ban on repeated offenders.

Unfolding the incident

Twitch is obliged to follow the rules, and hence, it will be coming up with updated terms of service for its users. As of now, the platform claims that its guidelines for music haven’t been changed.

Apparently, the use of music in videos has caused the issue. Deleting said posts would mean removing more than 100,000 posts, which could result in a hefty loss. Some of the songs in the clip that caused the wave include ‘7 rings’ by Ariana Grande, ‘In Da Club’ by 50 Cents, and ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees. The reported claims mentioned works that date back to 2017.

Streamers such as Jakenbake and Fuslie have been hit with multiple copyright claims.

Fuslie also mentioned that she got in touch with Twitch, who advised her to delete the videos to avoid actions. While it is easy for a new or small-time streamer to delete some of their work, Fuslie and Jakenbake have thousands of clips. Removing them would mean clearing off years of work.

Several streamers were debating the issue on Twitter and addressed their situation. Read some of the tweets below.

YouTubers have faced such issues all the time. While Twitch is facing some mockery, we hope they bounce back. Streamers meanwhile are getting criticized on the ground that the music they used in their videos was a disgusting way to make profits.

DMCA claims weren’t targeted at the big streamers alone. Several others are also at risk of losing their work if it does not adhere to the guidelines.

Twitch to find a solution soon

Twitch support on Twitter claimed to be working on resolving the issue. They have assured everyone that they’ll examine ways to give creators control over their content without facing such problems again in the future.

Like any other streaming website, three strikes would lead to the creator getting banned or suspended. The worst part is, clips from years back may also pose a problem for streamers. While several streamers decided to delete their content, others want a better solution.

Twitch will actively look to work on the issue, but are getting heat from streamers and viewers. Streamers stand a chance of losing all their work if a solution is not provided soon. Leave your take on the issue down in the comments.