So, there is some amazing drama going on in the gaming world right now, but the short version (so far) is this:

There's an upload-it-yourself indie gaming site called itch.io, which is like YouTube for games: users upload their creations and get free hosting plus an audience, while itch.io makes ad revenue. It's not as massive as, say, YouTube, but it is a very, very large site. About 5 days ago, a user uploaded a "game" that was more like a fan homage to a major studio game called Funko Fusion--i.e., the same folks who maintain the FunkoPop toys. And Funko apparently uses a bullshit AI program called BrandShield to prevent copyright infringement across the internet on their products.

So BrandShield flagged the page, and sent an alert to itch.io's domain registrar, not for DMCA (which would be appropriate for cease-and-desist copyright stuff), but for "fraud and phishing." The registrar messaged itch.io, and itch.io said "okay," and took down the game.

But somehow, the report didn't get deactivated, so now, 5 days later, having "not been responded to," the registrar took down the entirety of itch.io. Again, this is like all of YouTube being taken down because one guy posted a video with a Michael Jackson song in the background.

Now, it's important to note that almost everyone screwed up here: the registrar should have cleared the report, but also, this would not have happened if BrandShield had correctly filed the report as DMCA, rather than fraud, and Funko screwed up by using bullshit AI with automatic reporting in the first place.

Anyway, after hours of downtime and no one being willing to fix the problem, the owner of itch.io took to social media--which is a problem for Funko, because there is a TON of overlap between Funko's demographic, and itch.io's demographic. Calls were made, wheels got greased, and the site is now back up--but people are still talking, and now someone from Funko just called the itch.io guy's MOTHER about her son's "defamatory statements" about the Funko brand... which he's not interested in taking down until Funko admits that BrandShield is bad, and maybe agrees to stop using them.

At any rate, the line "This is not a joke, Funko just called my mom" has now become a meme on the gaming messageboards, with who-knows-how-much staying power, and I think it's fair to say this is going to be an ongoing PR nightmare for them for a while. All because they used shitty AI to make sure no one drew a picture of their little guys and put it on the internet.