Genshin Impact’s publisher is compelling X (formerly Twitter) to disclose the identities of leakers who released unreleased content on the platform.
A DMCA subpoena filed by Cognosphere, a publishing subsidiary of MiHoYo (commonly recognized under the brand name HoYoverse), in November 2023 aimed to unmask the identities of several X accounts that had shared leaked information.
According to the initial DMCA takedown request, they sought X to unveil the identities of four leaker accounts: @FurinaaLover, @GIHutaoLover, @HutaoLoverGI, and @HutaoLover77.
The information sought would include their names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and IP addresses; however, Cognosphere suspects these accounts are managed by one individual. All four accounts have now been deleted.
In January 2024, X declined to comply with Cognosphere’s request, stating that the DMCA subpoena constituted an infringement on free speech, subsequently filing a motion to nullify it.
However, on September 18, the court rejected X’s motion, thus compelling the social media platform to disclose the identities of the leakers.
Genshin Impact’s publishers are pressuring X to reveal the names of leakers.
As initially reported by TorrentFreak, the court agreed with Cognosphere, reasoning that the case does not encroach on users’ free speech rights since it pertains to copyright infringement.
“Here, the speech which prompted the DMCA subpoena at issue is alleged copyright infringement,” stated the court ruling. “Because there is no First Amendment right that shields copyright infringement…there is no protectable speech at issue.”
Furthermore, the ruling dismissed X’s claims that Cognosphere failed to prove ownership of the leaked material and that the DMCA filing was executed in “bad faith.”
In concluding the verdict, the court mandated X to disclose the names of the leakers, rejecting their objections.
“The court overrules [X] objections under the First Amendment to the DMCA subpoena issued by Cognosphere and thus denies [X] motion to quash the subpoena,” the ruling stated.
Neither X nor MiHoYo has commented on the situation thus far, but at present, X is required to disclose the identities of the leakers, unless both parties reach an out-of-court agreement.
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