Twitch receives new DMCA takedown notices from music publishers cover image

Twitch receives new DMCA takedown notices from music publishers

Twitch has received over 1000 DMCA takedown notifications and many more might be on their way. Here’s how you can prevent your channel from receiving a copyright strike.

Twitch has received a batch of DMCA takedown notifications with about 1,000 individual claims from music publishers. The Amazon-owned company is speaking with music labels about potential solutions that could work for creators as well as rights holders.

Twitch sent out an email to content creators in an effort to be more transparent about the DMCA takedown claims. Music publishers have sent over 1000 individual DMCA takedown notifications for content on the platform. All of the claims are for VODS with the vast majority targeting streamers listening to background music while playing games or IRL streaming.

Twitch expects further notices as they think the rights holders have used automated tools. These tools scan and identify copyrighted music in creators’ VODS and Clips.

What is Twitch doing to protect content creators?

Twitch is speaking with rights holders for long-term solutions.
Twitch is speaking with rights holders for long-term solutions.

Twitch is already in conversation with music labels to find solutions that would be agreeable to creators and rights holders. This is the first such contact with the music industry, according to Twitch.

Besides educating streamers on the rules and risks concerning use of music, Twitch is also developing several new features. The ability to unpublish VODs, view your strike count, strike notifications in the Creator Dashboard, multi-track audio support for OBS and many other features might be a part of Twitch in the future. The company says it is also investing in proactive detection and muting in addition to working with rights holders for long-term solutions. 

How to protect your Twitch Channel from DMCA notices?

The only way to protect your channel from DMCA takedown notifications is to not stream copyrighted music (or any copyrighted material). Twitch strongly recommends to permanently delete copyrighted material from past VODs and clips. For remaining VODs, content creators can use the ‘unpublish all’ feature.

Twitch streamers might have to delete hours of content from their channels in order to comply with the rules. As Twitch continues to work on providing tools and resources to content creators, streamers can expect a new wave of DMCA notifications soon. 

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