A YouTuber has successfully thwarted a bogus copyright attack by identifying a spoofed email, revealing the loopholes in YouTube’s DMCA takedown process and calling for urgent reforms to prevent further abuse.
German YouTuber Dominik “Domtendo” Neumayer, known for his playthroughs of popular games, nearly lost his channel after receiving two DMCA strikes over videos featuring The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. A third strike would have resulted in the permanent removal of his 17-year-old channel.
What made the strikes especially shocking was that many gaming companies see “Let’s Play” content as free promotion. While Nintendo has a history of targeting some YouTubers, Neumayer’s channel had operated without issue—until now.
Spotting the Fake: A Key Discovery
Faced with the potential loss of his channel, Neumayer scrutinized the takedown requests. The claims were signed by “Tatsumi Masaaki, Nintendo Legal Department, Nintendo of America,” but one glaring inconsistency caught his attention. The second email came from a personal ProtonMail account: [email protected].
This raised red flags. Determined to protect his livelihood, Neumayer began his investigation. Initially, his persistence led to some of his videos being reinstated, but the fake lawyer escalated, pushing him to remove additional content voluntarily while continuing to issue threats.
Reaching Out to Nintendo
Neumayer’s breakthrough came after contacting Nintendo directly. The company confirmed that the ProtonMail address was not legitimate and that the takedown claims didn’t align with its practices. Nintendo promised to investigate, and shortly after, the fake lawyer began retracting their claims.
However, the troll didn’t give up easily. They used a spoofing tool to send emails that appeared more authentic, including one mimicking an official Nintendo address. Neumayer caught the forgery by analyzing the email headers and identifying the spoofing tool. This discovery finally ended the ordeal, with the impersonator backing down.
Frustration with YouTube’s DMCA Process
Although Neumayer emerged victorious, the ordeal highlighted significant flaws in YouTube’s DMCA system. Many creators avoid challenging takedowns—even fraudulent ones—out of fear of losing their channels. Neumayer’s case underscores how copyright trolls exploit this fear, often forcing creators to delete content unnecessarily.
“YouTube’s current process allows anyone to strike YouTubers with little to no accountability. It’s insane,” Neumayer said. “This system needs to change now.”
A Call for Reform
Neumayer and other creators affected by similar schemes are urging YouTube to revise its copyright policies. They want better safeguards against abuse, easier ways to dispute claims, and more robust measures to verify the legitimacy of takedown requests.
As the fight against copyright abuse continues, Neumayer’s story serves as both a cautionary tale and a rallying cry for a more creator-friendly YouTube.
