Launched in 2013, itch.io lets customers host and promote indie video video games on-line — now providing greater than 200,000 — in addition to different digital content material like music and comics. However then somebody uploaded a web page primarily based on a significant videogame title, in accordance with Sport Rant. And by some means this provoked a collection of overreactions and missteps that ultimately knocked all of itch.io offline for a number of hours…
The web page was in regards to the first launch from sport developer 10:10 — their sport Funko Fusion, which options characters within the fashion of Funko’s long-running pop-culture bobbleheads. As a significant model, Funko screens the net with a “model safety” accomplice (named BrandShield). Curiously, BrandShield’s SaaS product “leverages AI-driven on-line model safety,” in accordance with their web site, to “detect and take away” issues like model impersonations “with over 98% success. Our superior takedown capabilities prevent time…” (Though BrandShield’s CEO informed the Verge that following AI studies “our workforce of Cybersecurity Risk hunters and IP legal professionals resolve on what actions needs to be taken.”) Which means that after routinely recognizing the itch.io web page with its web-crawling software program, it was BrandShield’s “workforce of Cybersecurity Risk hunters and IP legal professionals” who determined to take motion (for that particular web page). However itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran commented on social media:
From what I can inform, some individual made a fan web page for an current Funko Pop online game (Funko Fusion), with hyperlinks to the official web site and screenshots of the sport. The BrandShield software program might be instructed to eradicate all “unauthorized” use of their trademark, so that they despatched studies independently to our host and registrar claiming there was “fraud and phishing” occurring, more likely to trigger escalation as a substitute of doing the anticipated DMCA/cease-and-desist. Due to this, I actually assume they’re the malicious actor in all of this. Corcoran says he replied to each his registrar (iwantmyname) and to his web site’s host, telling them he’d eliminated the offending web page (and disabled its uploader’s account). This happy his host, Corcoran writes — however the registrar’s proprietor later informed him they’d by no means acquired his reply.
“And that is why they took the area down.”
In an interview with Polygon, Corcoran factors out that the net web page in query had already been handled 5 days earlier than his registrar offlined his total web site. “No communication after that…. No ‘We have not heard from you, we’re about to close your area down’ or something like that.”
Defending themselves over the incident, BrandShield posted on X.com that they’d recognized an “infringement” (additionally calling it an “abuse”), and that they’d requested “a takedown of the URL in query — not of your entire itch.io area.” They do not say this, but it surely looks like their concern may’ve been that the web page appeared official sufficient to impersonate Funko Fusion. However X.com readers added this context. “Whole domains don’t go down on the idea of a copyright takedown request of a person URL. That is the direct results of a fraudulent declare of malicious exercise.”
And Corcoran additionally posted an indignant summation on X.com:
I child you not, @itchio has been taken down by @OriginalFunko as a result of they use some trash “AI Powered” Model Safety Software program referred to as @BrandShieldltd that created some bogus Phishing report back to our registrar, @iwantmyname, who ignored our response and simply disabled the area. The following day Funko’s official account on X.com additionally issued their very own assertion that they “maintain a deep respect and appreciation for indie video games, indie players, and indie builders.” (Although “Added Context” from X.com readers notes Funko’s assertion nonetheless claimed a “takedown request” was issued, quite than what Corcoran says was a false “fraud and phishing” report.)
Funko.com additionally posted that they’d “reached out” to itch.io “to have interaction with them on this problem.” However this simply led to a different indignant publish from Corcoran. “This isn’t a joke, Funko simply referred to as my mother.” Cocoran then posted what seems to be like a screenshot of a textual content message his mom despatched him. Although she does not say which firm was concerned, his mom’s textual content says she “Obtained a wierd name from an organization about accusatory statements in your social media account. Name me…”
Because of ewhac (Slashdot reader #5,844) for sharing the information.
