Twitch May Have Made DMCA Bans Even Quicker
If you've been following the Twitch scene for a while, then you've more than likely come across the DMCA issues that have made streamers furious with Twitch. Whether it's an issue with music or specific games, streamers have struggled with navigating the tricky world of copyright claims, particularly within the last year. Now, Twitch has made it easier than ever to file a DMCA complaint against streamers.
On May 4, former Twitch admin Saysera shared new screenshots of a new Twitch form, which allows users to file a detailed copyright complaint directly through Twitch. In the past, those with complaints would have to email Twitch to start the process, which was a bit more difficult. According to Creator Hype's Zach Bussey, this new system was created specifically to report copyright infractions in video content.
This content would essentially be clips or even emotes that were stolen from other creators on the platform — user JeffCraigTV mentioned that people would need a Twitch account in order to submit a claim this way, so it doesn't appear to be meant for music labels or even big companies.
In the past, gaming companies have reacted differently to DMCA complaints. Nintendo has used them as a way to keep certain games off of Twitch, while CD Projekt Red actually helped streamers by creating a "streamer mode" in "Cyberpunk 2077" that disabled copyrighted music.
Streamers were split on just how to feel about this new form.
Twitch streamers have mixed feelings
Streamers couldn't seem to agree on what this addition to Twitch meant for the future. On one hand, some streamers, like LambbChops, were happy about the addition, because this could prevent other creators from using stream clips without permission. Saysera speculated that this new system applied to emotes and other created content that's stolen often — however, Twitch partner KisakaToriami didn't think emotes would be part of this system. In other words, there are still quite a few questions about how this new system even works.
Twitch streamer Trui hoped for a better appeal system, since the reporting system has clearly been updated. According to Trui, it can take months for an appeal to even be looked at, much less fixed. Another streamer, Angeltjee, agreed with this gripe and shared another appeal story: "I got muted for songs I have a license for and also never heard back on the appeal."
Zach Bussey expressed concerns about the possibility that Twitch would accidentally bring back the "mid-2010s YouTube era," a time where videos were being taken down left and right because of user-submitted complaints. Only time will tell if this system will be good for honest creators or if it will be a way for users to harass streamers, as currently fear.