Copyright strikes due to copyrighted music are currently a big topic on the livestreaming platform Twitch.tv. Channels are getting banned and videos are being deleted. Summit1g fears he might be affected.
The 33-year-old Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. His channel has more than 5.7 million followers, and regularly over 13,000 people watch his livestreams simultaneously. Because he streams so much, he is regularly on course to become one of the most-watched streamers of the year on Twitch.
He recently spoke about how close he is to receiving a ban.
What’s going on with Twitch?
- The music industry is currently targeting videos and clips that use copyrighted music for viewers
- therefore, Twitch has already deleted thousands of videos and warned the owners of the affected streaming channels
- Even videos and clips on Twitch that are years old can cause problems due to copyright violations and lead to strikes for the streamer
- After 3 strikes within a short period, the channel usually gets banned
- Streamers are deleting all sorts of videos on Twitch because they are afraid of getting banned
Summit1g has already received 3 strikes, worries about the future
This is what the streamer says: Summit1g has been big and successful on Twitch for several years. He created his channel in December 2011. But even veterans like him are not spared from the copyright strike system. The streamer is currently being cautious.
A viewer asked him about the current situation with his channel. Summit1g says: “I have to be honest, this is getting really serious. I have been DMCA’d three times now. And I had to send emails saying ‘Yo, I have started the deletion process now. The [DMCAs] need to be reversed’. I expect something has happened. Because I am not banned and I already have 3 strikes”
In the USA, DMCA stands for the “Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” It’s a law applied in cases of copyright infringement.
Big streamers are now deleting all videos and clips on Twitch because the risk is too great of being banned due to music that somehow played in the background.
Is someone like Summit1g not safe? A viewer expressed suspicion during Summit’s stream that the great popularity of his channel could protect him from a ban. After all, he runs one of the biggest channels there. But Summit1g explains:
When it comes to being sued by the music industry or getting rid of the streamer causing that lawsuit, then, I don’t know, I’m a bit concerned.
Source: Summit1g on Twitch.tv
This is how Summit1g sees his situation: The streamer explained how hard a permanent ban would hit him. “It would be quite a turn in life if I suddenly were no longer employed by Twitch.” He is not sure what he would do afterwards.
Whether Summit1g will be banned after his strikes is still unclear.
For many streamers, the punishments came as quite a surprise. Because just in June, Twitch reassured its streamers and stated that affected clips would simply be automatically deleted and there would be no strikes. But now the situation has changed, and punishments are coming down.
The situation regarding copyright strikes on Twitch is currently opaque. Even streamers do not quite understand what is happening. Twitch sometimes autonomously deletes clips and videos that contain copyrighted music. Elsewhere, Twitch advises its content creators: Clean up your archives and delete affected content.
