Steam users are frustrated after the gaming platform is currently being flooded with DMCA strikes. Players are asking Valve to intervene after mods for games such as Left 4 Dead 2 are being targeted with copyright notices.

If you’ve been using Steam’s Workshop lately and have noticed a DMCA notice at the top of your browser, you are not alone! The Valve-owned platform is currently being hit with a wave of copyright infringement claims.

If you browse mods for Stellaris, Left 4 Dead 2, and Terraria, you are likely to see a DMCA complaint. So what’s going on? Many users claim the copyright system is currently being abused.

Steam Mods Overwhelmed With DMCA Copyright Strikes

The issue was first uncovered on the Steam subreddit in an August 10 post. According to the thread creator, the DMCA strikes are part of a “malicious” campaign. “This isn’t just a problem with one game; nearly every game that supports Workshop (Hearts of Iron 4, Left 4 Dead 2, Terraria, even Garry’s Mod) is being targeted by malicious DMCA reports.”

If true, the recent wave of DMCA reports was sparked by a feud between two mod creators who issued infringement claims against each other.

Regardless of what kicked this all off, the Reddit thread exposed a big problem with Steam Workshop mods. Pretty much anyone can file a complaint without evidence, and a mod can get flagged.

This is, however, an issue with DMCA in general. In fact, it’s the same problem YouTube has been dealing with for the past five years now. Players are calling on the publisher to do something, as Steam mods are currently being removed by potentially false DMCA claims.

Steam Players Want Valve to Resolve DMCA Issues

Players reacted to the recent wave of DMCA notices flooding Workshop and were critical of Valve for not doing more. “Steam Workshop on its own is an awfully moderated and chaotic place,” a user wrote. Another exclaimed, “Oh gosh. This is absolutely horrid. Sounds like a massive oversight.

Hopefully it doesn’t get resolved in Valve-time but actual time.” One comment simply vented: “D***, so they have the same s**** system that YouTube has that allows any a**hole to DMCA anyone, huh.”

However, it should be pointed out that DMCA is actually the law outside of Steam and YouTube’s own policies. To an extent, Valve is pretty limited in what it can do. If someone files copyright infringement, Valve has to pull the content and inform the creator of the claim. The creator can then file a counterclaim.

At that point, the person who issued the DMCA notice can either take the creator to court or drop it. In the latter scenario, Valve will then reinstate the mod on its platform.

All this to say, we are all being held hostage by the outdated DMCA system. Unfortunately, the system is poorly implemented, and people can abuse it. It’s actually shocking that Steam hasn’t faced this problem before with mods and user-created content. The fact that it’s gone this long without trolls or angry mod drama is actually impressive.

Unfortunately, it seems like Steam Workshop is just going to have to deal with the current flood of DMCA notices. Hopefully, it really is just due to petty drama and not the new normal.