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Twitch DMCA strikes policy update: Repeat infringer and timed strikes explained

Twitch announced a complete overhaul of their DMCA copyright strike policy with severe consequences for repeat offenders.
Twitch DMCA strikes policy update: Repeat infringer and timed strikes explained

Late last year, Twitch apologized to streamers for its poor handling of DMCA complaints. This followed a massive sudden influx of DMCA claims, which Twitch was simply unequipped to deal with. At the time, DMCA implementation was considered to be the biggest issue plaguing the Amazon-owned streaming service and they vowed to do better. 

In May this year, in keeping with their promise, Twitch introduced a new feature that allowed anyone to submit a copyright claim report. Consequently, many community members speculated that this update may introduce even more issues. Twitch has seemingly put these concerns to bed after announcing a complete overhaul of their DMCA policy, adding new guidelines for “repeat infringers”.

Twitch DMCA strikes policy overhauled

We won’t go into the nitty-gritty details of Twitch's entire DMCA policy but will emphasize two significant points.

  1. Streamers that receive 3 strikes will be deemed “repeat offenders”
  2. Copyright strikes are impermanent but will remain until Twitch has determined that the account is no longer a repeat offender.
twitch dmca repeat offender policy
Twitch Repeat Infringer Policy (Picture: Twitch)

In the Twitch Repeat Infringer segment, they stipulate that “a user will be considered a repeat infringer if they accrue three copyright strikes” and that Twitch will “terminate an account holder’s access to the Twitch service”.

Twitch further indicated that DMCA strikes will not be permanent, but may expire after some undisclosed period of time. This will allow Twitch to evaluate whether an account is indeed a repeat offender, or not and whether termination of service is necessary.

twitch dmca repeat offenders policy overhauled
Twitch DMCA policy overhauled (Picture: The Wallet)

“Strikes are not permanent, but rather are associated with an account for enough time for Twitch to determine whether the account holder is engaging in repeated infringement such that termination is necessary under this Policy”, they wrote.

This overhaul does represent a massive improvement to their DMCA system and is similar to that which is used by YouTube. We’ll have to wait and see whether this update yields the intended response, or whether it will open an entirely new can of worms.

Don't forget to check out our dedicated Twitch section for news, streamer antics, drama, and more.

Header image via Twitch.