Pirate Software Discloses Significant Problem Preventing Multi-Streaming on Twitch and Kick

Twitch streamer and game developer Jason Thor Hall, known as Pirate Software, shared insights into his decision to refrain from broadcasting on Kick, outlining the challenges that have influenced this choice.

Pirate Software is among the many content creators who engage in multi-streaming across various platforms, reaching audiences on sites such as Twitch and YouTube.

However, in an October 2024 broadcast, Hall expressed his strong stance against multi-streaming on Kick. “No, I’m not gonna stream on Kick,” he stated. “I don’t think I’m ever gonna stream on Kick, at all. There’s no reason for me to do that, to be honest with you.”

Hall highlighted a particular concern regarding Kick’s ‘Other, Watch Party’ category, previously labeled as ‘Other, TV Shows & Movies.’ This category retains its old title in search engines and URLs, which has raised red flags for him.

kick-other-watch-party-category-screen — Kick

Kick’s ‘Other, Watch Party’ category features a wide array of copyrighted content, from anime to television series and more.

“As a platform, if someone is streaming copyrighted content on your platform, you get a DMCA claim and you take it down,” Hall commented. “…but if you create a category called ‘Other, TV Shows & Movies,’ you’re basically encouraging that behavior on your platform.”

Hall recounted his discussion with one of Kick’s co-founders and prominent streamers, Trainwreck, noting that his critique did not go over well. “He called me a dumbass for about 30 minutes straight on his stream and claimed that Twitch also has copyrighted content, which it does, but they don’t have a specific category for it,” Hall recalled. “They just have individuals streaming it, and then they face consequences.”

“…He deletes the VOD and switches the category to ‘Other, Watch Party,’ but the category name stays as ‘Other, TV Shows, Movies.’ It’s still unchanged. After a year, this category is filled with individuals streaming anime and TV shows illegally.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7dr79sEfL8

Additionally, Hall pointed out that Kick allegedly utilizes Amazon’s Interactive Video Service to manage this copyrighted content, suggesting that they are essentially using Amazon as a live stream Pirate Bay.

As Hall noted, Twitch has also grappled with broadcasters streaming copyrighted material. In fact, the platform faced a tumultuous ‘TV Meta’ in 2022, when numerous streamers drew in thousands of viewers by screening shows like Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Nickelodeon’s Avatar.

This ‘meta’ ignited a passionate debate regarding the ethics of streaming content that belongs to others. Even major streamers faced repercussions; both Pokimane and Disguised Toast received DMCA-related bans for watching these shows alongside their audiences.

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