By Sagar V. Mankar 
YouTubers who create videos about Nintendo games are facing an increasing problem with fake DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notices. According to The Verge, individuals pretending to be representatives of Nintendo of America are exploiting YouTube’s DMCA system to issue false claims against content creators.
Nintendo is well-known for its strict policies regarding the protection of its intellectual property. The company has a history of issuing takedown notices for unauthorized use of its content. One notable example is the removal of 20 years’ worth of Nintendo-related content from the developer of Garry’s Mod. However, this recent wave of takedowns isn’t coming from Nintendo itself but from imposters posing as official representatives.
In September, well-known YouTuber Dominik “Domtendo” Neumayer received a suspicious takedown notice. Upon inspecting the email, he noticed something unusual. Instead of originating from Nintendo’s official domain, the notice came from an encrypted ProtonMail account, raising immediate suspicion.
Domtendo decided to investigate further and discovered that the notice was signed by someone claiming to be Tatsumi Masaaki. However, according to The Verge, there is no legal representative by that name at Nintendo of America. While a person named Tatsumi Masaaki does work at Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, they are not involved in legal enforcement actions.
To verify the situation, Domtendo reached out directly to Nintendo. On October 10, Nintendo responded, stating, “Please note that [email protected] is not a legitimate Nintendo email address, and the details contained within the communication do not align with Nintendo of America Inc.’s enforcement practices. We are investigating further.”
Despite this clarification, Domtendo continued to face additional fake takedown notices from spoofed Nintendo email addresses. This ongoing issue highlights the growing problem of fraudulent DMCA claims on YouTube.
Fake DMCA takedowns are not a new issue on the platform, but they remain a significant concern. YouTube’s lack of transparency and limited support for creators facing these claims only worsen the situation. Although creators can contest copyright strikes, the potential consequences often discourage them from doing so.
Nintendo’s history of issuing legitimate DMCA takedowns adds credibility to these fake claims, making them harder to identify. Past incidents, such as the removal of a fan-made Pokémon FPS game, serve as reminders of Nintendo’s strict stance on protecting its IP. This reputation, while understandable, also creates an opportunity for bad actors to exploit the system.
Sources: Game Rant