Massive content removal on Twitch

Internet is sharing. Users enjoy the possibility of creating content and reaching the largest number of people. From the beginning when images and videos were uploaded to the network until today, where live streaming is one of the most common and popular practices in the virtual environment.
Twitch is one of the most important platforms for broadcasting audiovisual content in real time. The community that uses it the most is videogames. Players upload their videos to the social network where they usually show their games, the content can be recorded or live.
One of the latest news on Twitch surprised the large number of users of the platform, before the official warning from the company of having received a massive complaint regarding the removal of music content under the copyright laws of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).

Official information

Sharing content on Twitch is one of the things that video game fans enjoy the most. The number of people using the platform born in 2011 is counted in millions, as well as the number of hours of audiovisual content that is uploaded. For this reason, the warning about removing copyrighted content on Twitch came as a very bad surprise for many users.
The firm that belongs to the Amazon group chose its official Twitter account (@TwitchSupport) to inform people of the demand they received and of the actions that should be taken.
The first announcement they made was to communicate that they had received an unexpected claim for content removal under DMCA regulations for music videos made between 2017 and 2019. Users were suggested to be unsure about whether their content did or did not comply with the rules directly eliminate it. From the Twitch account they also affirmed that they knew that many people possess a large amount of material and that they would collaborate in the task to review it.
On the other hand, the company reported that it was the first time that such a large complaint had been sent to them on this matter and that they would take measures to give users more control of their content so that the situation does not recur.
Finally, they recalled that in relation to copyright policies in Twtich, the company abides by the rules regulated by the DMCA and that the steps to be followed and followed so that the material is not erased can be found on the website of the company.

Copyright Law

The news about Twitch and the important demand it received in relation to its content and the DMCA, allows us to make a brief review of what that regulation is and what it is for. Although sharing material on the net is very common, we must not forget to consider the authors who create much of the elements that users use.
The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is the law that safeguards the rights of authors in the United States. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act was approved in 1998 and regulates the presence and distribution of audiovisual content on the internet.
Regarding adherence to this rule, on the official Twitch site it is stated that:

“It is our policy to respond to clear notices of claimed copyright infringement that fully comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In addition, we will promptly terminate without notice the accounts of those determined by us to be “repeat infringers".

The latest news on Twitch and the demand received by the popular platform bring to the table one of the most important issues on the internet. The legal question about copyright has been a central problem for years online. Given the situation facing Twitch, it will be necessary to evaluate the behavior of the company prior to this demand and what it will do in the future so that such an event does not repeat itself. The Internet is a very wide space where we all must live together without violating our rights.