Twitch reveals DMCA strikes “aren’t permanent” anymore in YouTube-inspired update
After receiving lots of criticism, Twitch finally changed the way DMCA strikes on the platform work, making them “impermanent” like the ‘timed strikes’ system used on YouTube.
It’s been a while since Twitch launched an extensive crackdown on streamers breaching DMCA rules. In that time, they’verolled out new measuresto make it easier for streamers to avoid breaking them and vowed tomake morein the future.
However, they’ve alsomade it easierfor people to report streamers and penalize them with DMCA strikes, which has led to the possibility of the situation worsening in the upcoming weeks and months.
Fortunately, Twitch has re-written theirDMCA guidelinesto balance it out. The biggest changes are that a streamer will now need to receive three strikes to be considered a repeat infringer, and strikes are not permanent.
“A user will be considered a repeat infringer if they accrue three copyright strikes,” they wrote. If it gets to that point, they will “terminate an account holder’s access to the Twitch service.”
“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.”
There’s still uncertainty about what constitutes “enough time”, but many agree it’s an improvement on the old system, and much closer to theone used on YouTube, which revolves around multiple strikes within a 90-day period.
