ByHow To Deal With a Twitch DMCA Takedown
Twitch is an online platform allowing creators to stream their content directly to the followers. It's also the website whose occasional DMCA takedowns take their users by surprise.
As a creator, you should learn how copyright works on Twitch and how to avoid getting in trouble.
Are Twitch DMCA Takedowns Legitimate?
Twitch has a habit of taking down content from a massive number of streamers, often without giving them an option to file a counter-notice.
It's different from the DMCA strike because the channels are still there, but the videos are gone without any previous warning.
The company has the law on its side even if it does handle the situation poorly.
The DMCA takedown is supported by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), one of the leading copyright laws in the U.S. that protects websites like Twitch from copyright infringement lawsuits.
The way the DMCA protection works is that as long as a platform like Twitch responds to copyright infringement notices quickly, the copyright owner cannot send demand letters to them. YouTube copyright system functions similarly, allowing users to file copyright claims, which can lead to a copyright strike on the infringer's channel.
These copyright claims aimed at Twitch are mostly not coming from individuals. The companies behind DMCA takedowns are usually record publishers and music industry giants since most copyright issues are music-related.
What Is Twitch Copyright Policy?
If you use someone else's content in your streams or videos, that person has a right to file a claim with Twitch, which can prompt the platform to send a takedown notification.
The company will also react to repeat infringers. If you've been accused of copyright violation multiple times, Twitch will strike your account. In case you get a certain number of strikes, the company will terminate your account.
Music may be the main trigger for takedown notices, but any creative work can be copyrighted:
- Photos
- Different types of artwork
- Sculptures
- Other peoples’ videos
Since music copyrights are the biggest issue, Twitch introduced an audio scanning feature called Audible Magic. It scans users' VODs (Video-on-Demands—previously streamed content), and in case it detects a match with copyrighted audio, it mutes that portion of the VOD. The feature is expanding on other types of content on the platform.
If you are a creator using Twitch as your outlet, be careful what you stream because you may lose your content for good without a chance of filing a counter-notice.
Applying DMCA to Twitch—Check Your Content for Copyright Violations
Twitch offers several ways to avoid committing copyright infringement.
Specific tools allow you to check your published content and remove anything you suspect may be violating copyright laws.
Here are some of those tools:
| Using the Creator Dashboard | You can review Clips, VODs, and Highlights already stored on your channel and remove anything that you may have posted without permission |
| Limiting Clip Creation | Another option is to restrict your followers and subscribers from creating clips. You can set this up in your Stream Settings |
| Deleting All Your Clips at Once | This may seem excessive, but for creators who have a lot of content, going through each clip individually would take a lot of time. Option Delete All removes all clips simultaneously. You can also download clips before deleting them if you don't want to lose them completely |
| Streaming With Soundtrack | If you want to use music in your streams, the safest bet is to go with Soundtrack by Twitch.
It's a built-in tool that allows you to use music while streaming but deletes if from your VODs or clips |
How To Dispute a Twitch Copyright Strike
If you do get a Twitch DMCA takedown notice, in most cases, you will get a chance to act upon it. You can do this by filing a counter-notification or by asking the copyright holder to retract their claim.
If you want to send the counter-notification, you have to email it to dmca@twitch.tv.
The document needs to include the following parts:
- Description and links to the content that was removed (if you can access the original links)
- A statement that you consent to the authority of Federal District Court for the judicial district in your area and will accept service of process from the claimant
- A good-faith statement claiming that under penalty of perjury, you believe that the content was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification
- Your contact info
- Your physical or electronic signature
You can also contact the copyright holder directly and ask them to retract their claim. Make sure to include valid reasons why you believe the claim is unjustified.
What if Someone Steals Your Content? DoNotPay Can Help!
Big music labels can send takedown notices whenever you play their copyrighted songs, and you can do the same to anyone using your content without permission.
Your content gets default protection from the moment you put it in a tangible form, meaning there is no need to register for copyright if you don't want to.
Based on that default copyright protection, DoNotPay can draft a high-quality DMCA notice that will help you report copyright infringement and take down stolen content from any website, whether it's Twitch, YouTube, or any other website.
With our app, you don't have to go into the intricacies of drafting a DMCA notice, check the grammar, or worry whether your good-faith statement is written accurately.
We do it all for you, including sending it to the Internet Service Provider that hosts the infringing website.
Here is how to file a DMCA notice with our award-winning app:
- Open DoNotPay in your
- Tap the DMCA Takedown feature
- Type in the title of your video or any other content
- Paste the link to the website hosting your content without permission
- Paste the link to where the original content is located
- Click on the Sign and Submit button
There is nothing else you need to do but wait for your content to be taken down. You can check the progress in the My Disputes tab.
Discover the Versatility of DoNotPay
Our app is an ultimate virtual assistant that can teach you how to copyright your work to protect it, whether by generating a takedown notice or adding a copyright notice to your account.
DoNotPay also provides valuable info on how much it costs to copyright something and how long that protection lasts. DoNotPay can help you manage your Twitch account as well, without ever accessing the platform.
We can help you cancel Twitch, get a refund for your subscription, and even stop their email notifications. We can also show you how to land a Twitch Prime free trial with our virtual credit card.
Check out what else we can do for you by accessing DoNotPay from your .
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