Well, who decided to let AI take over management duties again?
Itch.io, a platform hosting countless games—primarily self-published indie projects—was temporarily taken offline this morning (or over the weekend, depending on time zones). The culprit? None other than Funko, known for their iconic Funko Pop figurines. Yes, I’m as confused as you are—and so is Leaf Corcoran, the creator of Itch.io.
As posted on both Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter), the site was taken down because Funko uses a “worthless AI-powered brand protection software called BrandShield.” This software flagged some fake phishing reports to the domain registrar, iwantmyname, which then disabled the domain without addressing Itch.io’s responses.
Itch.io clarified further: “As soon as we were notified, we removed the disputed page because fighting over such issues isn’t worth it. Yet, our registrar’s automated system began disabling the domain because no one actually reviewed our confirmation of the removal.”
What Is BrandShield?
BrandShield is marketed as an AI-driven solution for “brand protection” against phishing attempts, fraudulent websites, and other such threats. However, their website’s overuse of buzzwords like “holistic” makes it challenging to discern if anyone at BrandShield actually reviews these takedown requests.
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BrandShield’s website insists that protecting registered domains isn’t enough. They recommend monitoring “external digital threats” and include “visuals like company logos and product images” alongside “written and recorded content” as risk factors.
The Itch.io Incident: A Closer Look
Regarding the disputed page, Leaf explained on Hacker News that it appeared to be a fan page for Funko Fusion, an existing Funko Pop video game. This fan page included links to the official site and screenshots from the game. It seems BrandShield’s software was instructed to flag any “unauthorized” use of their trademarks, prompting it to independently report the page to both the hosting provider and registrar. These reports claimed fraudulent activity and phishing, rather than following a more standard DMCA or cease-and-desist route.
Leaf added that they received a takedown request from their hosting provider, Linode, and complied days earlier by removing the page and deactivating the associated account. Linode acknowledged the compliance and closed the case. However, iwantmyname, the registrar, never responded.
Later, Leaf noticed that iwantmyname had flagged the domain as “serverHold” in their control panel, which effectively disabled the site. No other abuse reports were received apart from BrandShield’s.
