Twitch backs down after angry reactions to new policy

Twitch is backing down after it has received a lot of angry reactions from users for its new system to automatically remove the sound from videos containing music that would infringe copyrights. There will be a button to protest the removal of the audio.

In addition, the set two-hour limit for highlight videos will expire again, Twitch writes in a blog post. Audible Magic’s system of automatically scanning videos for music contained in videos without copyright holders remains a point of contention for users. Many users complain in a Reddit AMA from the director of Twitch that their videos have been unjustifiably stripped of sound, as only the sound of the game can be heard in the background.

Twitch doesn’t seem to have any idea if that’s allowed. In the first announcement, the game video service said that the system also scans for in-game music, but the director says in a response to Reddit that it is not the case. In addition, he offers his apologies for not reporting the change in time. “Sorry, we screwed up.”