Twitch Bans Dr. Disrespect - A Lawyer's Take On What We Know (VL254)

With controversy raging around the game streaming platform, just why did Twitch silently ban one of its most popular streamers in Dr. Disrespect? While no one is talking, there's a lot we can glean from both the current situation and what the statements made by both Twitch and Dr. Disrespect say (and don't say). We may never get a solid answer to this one...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/wfgiEiefZ2E #Twitch #Ban #DrDisrespect *** Discussed in this episode: "Lawsuit! Is Twitch REQUIRED to Enforce Its Terms of Service? (VL253)" YouTube Video - June 26, 2020 - Hoeg Law https://youtu.be/zxAQWPqjp-4 "Dr. Disrespect Banned From Twitch: Doc’s Statement And What We Know" Forbes - June 28, 2020 - Dave Thier https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/06/28/statement-respond-why-dr-disrespect-banned-from-twitch-for-mysterious-reasons/#2f9151d12c0e "look: for several hours now I have been told from credible sources the reason DrDisrespect has been banned." Tweet - June 27, 2020 - Rod Breslau (@Slasher) https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1276742960286183424 "Twitch's statement on [Dr. Disrespect] ban..." Tweet - June 26, 2020 - Shannon Liao (@Shannon_Liao) https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1276617617730568195 "Champions Club, Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision..." Tweet - June 27, 2020 - Dr Disrespect (@drdisrespect) https://twitter.com/drdisrespect/status/1277060051744591872 "Streamer Dr Disrespect Signs Multiyear Deal to Stay on Twitch" The Hollywood Reporter - March 12, 2020 - Patrick Shanley https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dr-disrespect-signs-multi-year-deal-stay-twitch-1283878 "What Is Brime, The Latest Streaming Conspiracy Involving Ninja, Shroud And Doc?" Forbes - June 28, 2020 - Paul Tassi https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/06/28/what-is-brime-the-latest-streaming-conspiracy-involving-ninja-shroud-and-doc/#1c2cf97c2028 "Emails from [Twitch] have began arriving in [Dr Disrespect] subscribers inboxes." Tweet - June 26, 2020 - ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) https://twitter.com/ModernWarzone/status/1276693332975108096 "Dr Disrespect sponsors reinstate ad campaigns despite Twitch ban" GameRevolution - June 27, 2020 - Paul Tamburro https://www.gamerevolution.com/game-culture/651326-dr-disrespect-twitch-ban-sponsors "MTN Dew Game Fuel" Twitter Profile https://twitter.com/GameFuel "‘TWITCH BLACKOUT’ SPOTLIGHTS CLAIMS OF HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION AMONG STREAMERS" SYFY Wire - June 24, 2020 - Benjamin Bullard https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/twitch-blackout-spotlights-harassment-claims-among-streamers "Dr Disrespect Streams Inside An E3 Bathroom, Gets Banned From Twitch [Update: E3 Badge Revoked]" Kotaku - June 11, 2019 - Nathan Grayson https://kotaku.com/dr-disrespect-streams-inside-an-e3-bathroom-gets-banne-1835428982 "Ninja, Shroud, and other top Mixer streamers are now free to stream on Twitch again" The Verge - June 22, 2020 - Bijan Stephen https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298963/ninja-shroud-mixer-facebook-gaming-twitch "Terms of Service" Twitch Legal Page (Updated May 29, 2020) https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/terms-of-service/ "Community Guidelines" Twitch Legal Page (Updated April 28, 2020) https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/ *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com Blog: hoeglaw.wordpress.com