VTuber and Twitch ironmouse can breathe easy again. Her main and VOD YouTube channels are back online after a nail-biting 48 hour ban after a malicious DMCA takedown requests.
The Puerto Rican content creator found herself in a digital nightmare when her channels were suddenly terminated last Friday. But ironmouse wasn’t about to go down without a fight. With her loyal fanbase rallying behind her and some swift legal maneuvering, she managed to get her channels reinstated.
The news broke during her ongoing charity subathon for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. The 4-day ban really could not have come at a worse time.
A similar incident happened to fellow VTuber Filians just weeks before this incident. Filians had to cancel the sale of her Nendoroid figurine after IP claims emerged around the looks of her character. It appears though that the accusations around ironmouse had no legal basis whatsoever.
“Having a good lawyer (and LLC) seems essential to combat all the DMCA abuse out there,” one supporter pointed out in a chat. And they’re not wrong. This incident has shone a spotlight on the challenges content creators face with YouTube’s strike system, especially smaller creators who lack the resources to fight back.
As one of the largest VTubers in the world, ironmouse was surely able to carry the financial burden. Streamers from all types of categories are questioning the platform’s automated systems and lack of human oversight. In the past, YouTube’s strike system has led to many unwarranted strikes.
On top of all of that, the DMCA counterclaim process requires personal information to be shared. This can be a huge risk, especially for VTubers that take special care when it comes to protecting their real-life identities. All it takes is one out-of-control stalker that could potentially leak a lot of sensitive information about the streamer.
Despite the stress, ironmouse has shown incredible resilience, though. She’s continued her charity subathon and kept raising funds for a cause close to her heart.
