Kurt0411 unbanned on Twitch after “pathetic” FIFA copyright strike by EA

Former FIFA pro Kurt ‘Kurt0411’ Fenech has been unbanned on Twitch after being suspended on the platform for infringing EA SPORTS copyright.

As is standard procedure, Twitch partners are contacted with a private statement on why the ban was sanctioned, but the streamer decided to make his public on March 3, accusing an EA employee of once again filing complaints against his content.

He had previously revealed copy-strike attempts had been made against his YouTube channel, too, after EA banned his original account from playing FIFA 20 and any of their other games. The publisher took action after claiming he had broken their Code of Conduct, crossing the line with “personal attacks” and “threatening behavior” – a previous statement noted. 

A week later, Kurt returned to FIFA. He loaded up a new account, telling his fans EA had only banned his one profile and started streaming the game again – attracting over 15,000 viewers. Soon after, his new account was suspended as well and then he was banned on Twitch following the streaming session.

That ban has since been lifted, however, confirmed by StreamerBans on March 5, a Twitter account that monitors the status of Twitch partners.

The last stream before he was banned, titled “BAN TO GLORY,” seemed to be going fine for Kurt, especially considering his choice to actually cover up his profile’s name. That was until fans received one final message in chat: “This channel has been suspended.” 

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The fallen FIFA star shared an image on Twitter of his official alleged copyright infringement warning, which had been filed by Electronic Arts Inc, and an account titled ‘jpenforcement,’ both of which suggest the publisher asked Twitch to hook his stream, and account.

It was a specific email and name Kurt had seen before, the Maltese streamer added, which he said confirmed his suspicions EA had been trying to take his streaming channel down for some time now.

“[The ban had] nothing to do with Twitch, the same EA employee filed a complaint using EA’s name to once again copyright-strike my channel. The part I find most pathetic in all of this is once again no communication from the cowards,” he said.

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That wasn’t the only image he had to share with his fans, though. Despite being knocked off Twitch’s broadcasting service, Kurt finished his “last game on FIFA” with a lopsided 5–2 victory.

The former FIFA pro has received the backing of some high profile members of the community in recent times, with RunTheFUTMarket and Harry ‘HashtagHarry’ Hesketh defending him publicly. 

EA Sports

Kurt’s Twitch ban lasted little over a day, but there’s a chance further action will be taken should he continue to stream FIFA 20.

The question now for Kurt is where he goes from here. His 97,600-subscriber YouTube channel is still active and now his Twitch channel is ready to go live once again, following the short-lived ban. 

The 25-year-old could move to Pro Evolution Soccer 2020, considering he has played a bit of the Konami title in recent times, but the Maltese star has admitted previously that he “has no love” for the “mess of a game” PES has become.

Kurt could move away from FIFA 20 and EA once and for all now that his Twitch account has been unbanned, but will we see him switch to other popular titles like Fortnite or Call of Duty? We’ll have to wait and see.