Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has spoken out on the state of Twitch’s approach to permabans, as creators continue to stream material “that isn’t theirs” to watch.
When it comes to streaming, using copyrighted material such as movies or TV shows is a high-risk move. The line between fair use and blatant copyright infringement has become increasingly blurred over the years.
Now, Twitch streamer shroud has offered his thoughts on how using multimedia is affecting the platform.
Shroud expresses concern for “comfortable” creators
When asked about the usage of copyrighted media on his January 2 stream, shroud said “you still have people watching content, that isn’t theirs to watch, which is still a problem.” When Twitch was originally Justin.tv, the platform had many creators streaming “bootleg TV and college sports”, which has transitioned into reactionist content using movies and TV.
“It’s only a matter of time before something happens. I just hope when it does happen, it doesn’t hit hard to the point where a bunch of people get perma’d,” the streamer added on the matter of Twitch taking action.
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Responding to a viewer saying shroud should “chill” when it comes to licensed properties, shroud said, “I’m worried about people that do watch that and get too comfortable.”
“Eventually, the strikes will happen because you’re not supposed to be able to do that. Don’t know when,” shroud concluded. Despite the platform reaching a new agreement, when it comes to DMCA strikes, it is a serious issue that creators need to pay attention to.
Notable streamers like djWHEAT have tried to deter creators for copyrighted material on their streams: “It’s absolutely not ok. Just like it has never been ok to stream music. This is just as DMCA’able as anything else.”
Twitch released tools to help creators identify material that could jeopardize their channels, but it remains to be seen just how strict the platform will become.
