xQc banned on Twitch for allegedly livestreaming the Olympics

xQc, a popular Twitch streamer, has evidently been banned from the streaming platform for allegedly streaming the Olympics.

The Olympics got underway a few days ago and have been filled with huge moments and big wins for several athletes and countries. NBC has the digital and cable rights to the Olympics and the streaming of or broadcasting of Olympic events is generally restricted to them unless an agreement is otherwise reached.

There are several ways to watch the Olympics, whether it's live on NBC, through their app, or watching highlights or events later on approved platforms. One avenue is not listed there, though: Twitch streams. That's what got xQc banned on Twitch for the fourth time.

Tokyo Olympics. Image via CNN

---

xQc banned for streaming Olympics, allegedly

xQc tweeted out the announcement and apology shortly after it happened. He said that he believes his channel got "live DMCA'd". That stands for the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and it "criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself."

While the xQc ban is harmful to his platform and popularity, he's lucky no criminal charges are coming forth.

I THINK I GOT MY CHANNEL LIVE-DMCA'd. I TOOK NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FINE. REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT IT BUT I COUL'VE EASILY AVOIDED THIS. SORRY FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED INCLUDING THE VIEWERS. I'LL BE BETTER/SMARTER NEXT TIME AND FOLLOW GUIDELINES MORE STRICTLY

— xQc (@xQc) July 28, 2021

While there's no indication of how long this xQc ban will last, one fan of his is already eagerly awaiting his return. It's not the first time xQC was banned on Twitch and returned later.

It's a shame that it had to go down how it did. Live and learn I suppose, we're all eagerly awaiting your return someday!

— xQcOWUpdates (@xQcOWUpdates) July 28, 2021

Just before the channel got "DMCA'd", as he put it, he was streaming himself watching the Judo match between Michaela Polleres of Austria and Japan's Chizuru Arai. Twitch usually does not comment on the nature of a ban, but the reason that got xQc banned from Twitch is pretty clear here.

A Judo match. Image via IJF

There's no timetable for his return or any idea if he will return at this point. More than a normal Twitch ban, xQc violated copyright laws and that goes above and beyond the Twitch community guidelines that so often gets other streamers in trouble.

Laws carry more punishment than guideline violations do, and the fallout from the xQc ban is far from over.