Valve reportedly facing legal issues over copying a sticker

Valve may have just landed in hot waters after adding a new sticker in CS2. The developers often pick items from the workshop to include in the game, and this time around, they picked the "Loving Eyes" sticker. Unfortunately, workshop creator @Quzga_ took to their X page to share that this cosmetic was allegedly copied from Japanese artist @kikyo_toruko.

The artist was alerted about the potential copyright issue and has issued a DMCA takedown. This article will explain what it all means and how the issue came to light.

Note: This article is based on leaks and speculations. Readers are advised to take the information herein with a grain of salt.

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Valve reportedly lands in legal trouble over a copyrighted CS2 sticker

The "Loving Eyes" sticker was recently added to Counter-Strike 2, but it didn't take Quzga long to recognize it. The workshop creator quickly alerted the original artwork's creator regarding the issue.

@kikyo_toruko, the original creator, soon issued a DMCA takedown, implying Valve will likely have to remove the sticker from the game's inventory.

A DMCA takedown can be issued by copyright owners to ensure their content gets taken down if it gets copied. On July 18, 2024, it was reported that the takedown would be issued. So far, the CS2 community hasn't received a statement regarding the issue.

This is not the first time the developer has found itself in a difficult situation involving copyright infringement. One of the most desired weapon skins in the game is the M4A4 Howl. A beautiful skin that was the result of a copyright violation and had to be removed from the case it came in so players couldn't own it.

Unfortunately, some people had already bought it, so the developer made minor changes and made it a Contraband skin. This makes it one of the rarest skins in the game since it can only be bought from another player who already owns the skin.

The fate of the "Loving Eyes" sticker is not yet clear. Valve may drop it entirely or re-draw it like it did for some of its weapon skins.