Speedrunner Squeex has made it clear he doesn’t agree with Twitch’s strict DMCA policies.
Squeex has over 25,000 followers on Twitch, making him a prominent figure in the speed-running community. He is often seen doing Mario streams but can be found making bold statements when he’s not playing games.
In a recent stream, Squeex admitted while talking to his chat that he got a copyright strike from Twitch. Someone asked him to play Alice Deejay’s “Better Off Alone,” but Squeex said he can’t anymore.
“I can’t play music that can get me DMCA’d because I got an email from Twitch that I might be getting a DMCA strike if I keep it up. So unfortunately, I’m going to have to not listen,” Squeex said in a serious tone.
Before even finishing his last sentence, however, Squeex started blasting the song.
“Like I give a fuck? Like I give a fuck?” Squeex yelled over the music.
Twitch has been notorious for cracking down on copyrighted music over the past few years. Some accounts were even permanently banned over old VODs containing certain songs. This has left many content creators frustrated, with some even saying that it’s “free publicity” to have a song played during a heavily viewed stream. Others felt that Twitch hadn’t been clear enough about the DMCA guidelines, which the streaming platform later clarified.
The DMCA rules are still rubbing some streamers the wrong way, as seen by Squeex’s most recent stream.
Who is Squeex?
Squeex is a speedrunner who often plays classic Mario games. But Squeex is also known for his discussions with fans on Twitch and subsequent YouTube videos that show his personality. His sense of humor has made him very popular within the speedrunning community and beyond.
Squeex is one to never shy away from controversy. He was very vocal about Pokimane’s single ban from Twitch, which was actually due to a DMCA complaint. He was not a fan of the Twitch trend where big streamers would watch entire seasons of reality shows, cartoons, or anime.
“Fighting for my life on YouTube, dodging copyright claims, dealing with fake DMCA towns, getting my videos blocked, fighting tooth and nail to prove my content is fair use and transformative. Meanwhile on Twitch…” Squeex said at the time.
While the television meta eventually faded away, Squeex is still not a fan of Twitch’s behavior surrounding DMCA violations.
