Overwatch star Ryujehong banned on Twitch, fans suspect DMCA

Former Overwatch League pro Jehong “ryujehong” Ryu was banned on Twitch, and while fans aren’t yet sure why, they have some strong suspicions.

Last night, StreamerBans tweeted that ryujehong had been banned from the streaming platform. It was the Twitch partner’s first ban, leaving fans curious as to what happened. 

Fellow Overwatch League player Seonchang “ANS” Lee recently tweeted that he was going to start streaming on a different platform because of Twitch’s DMCA regulations and banning. He cited “DMAC problems” (sic) as his reason for leaving the popular video game streaming site. 

It’s possible that ryujehong experienced similar issues, although the veteran support player didn’t specify this himself. 

On October 20, esports insider Rod “Slasher” Breslau stated that the “DMCA bloodbath” had started up once again. This had left hundreds of partnered streamers with emails from Twitch demanding they take down various clips and videos. 

Streamers upset with Twitch handling of DMCA

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act allows Twitch to host user-generated content and promises the platform can’t be sued if it removes copyright-infringed materials after receiving a notice of said infringement from a copyright holder. 

While this may seem out of Twitch’s control, many streamers have blamed the platform for how they have been dealing with this ongoing issue. Instead of letting streamers file counterclaims when accused of violating copyright, Twitch has just been deleting content without warning. This means that streamers are no longer getting strikes or are being given time to otherwise archive the content.

Instead, they are getting content removed or facing bans, some of them potentially permanent. 

“It is crucial that we protect the rights of songwriters, artists, and other music industry partners,” Twitch stated. 

ryujehong’s ban was met with heavy criticism from the Twitch community. Considered one of the best supports in the entire Overwatch League, ryujehong had a large audience on his streams. He took up a more consistent streaming schedule when he was let go from the Vancouver Titans. 

Fans are frustrated that his streaming career also seems to be under attack.