Popular streamer xQc was banned from Twitch today, but a lot of his viewers are still unsure as to what the actual reason was. On the one hand, strange Twitch bans seem to happen every other week, but on the other, xQc does tend to be a somewhat controversial figure on Twitch. The truth behind the situation has to do with the ongoing Tokyo Olympics and a Twitch streamer's worst enemy, DMCA claims. Although this isn't confirmed, it seems as though the ban was caused by xQc watching Olympic highlights while live on Twitch.
The Olympic Games are a major event any time they come around, but this year it is especially big in the gaming community because they are taking place in Tokyo. It makes sense that an iconic Twitch streamer like xQc might want to watch the Olympics on stream, but it seems he didn't anticipate the potential for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to copyright strike the stream in response.
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The ban went into effect at around 2 PM Eastern Time on July 28th, and there's still no word about how long it will last. This is xQc's fourth ban in the last two years, so it's very possible that the punishment will be a bit harsher than normal circumstances. In response to the ban, xQc shared his feelings on Twitter. The tone of the tweet is largely apologetic, with xQc claiming that the mistake was easily avoidable and apologizing to those that were involved int he incident. He doesn't mention anything about how long the ban will last, however.
Similar bans have been doled out to other streamers recently as well, with some even being banned for live streaming in public places near the Olympics. This has spurred some discourse about the role of copyright in livestreaming, particularly when it comes to music. Although the IOC is within its legal rights to claim these streams and get them taken down, some are questioning whether the rules surrounding copyright are outdated. For reference, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed in 1998, almost 20 years ago.
Whether or not anything will change anytime soon remains to be seen. There's also no way to know how long xQc will be banned for, but other streamers that suffered the same fate were only gone for around two days. Fans of xQc should keep an eye on the situation, as although Twitch probably won't make any kind of announcement, it's possible that xQc will update his viewers soon.
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