Cognosphere, the publisher behind Genshin Impact, has made repeated court appearances in the United States in its efforts to unmask individuals responsible for leaking game updates ahead of schedule. Yesterday marked yet another legal maneuver by the company, this time targeting four Twitter accounts accused of disseminating leaked content that garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
The gaming sensation Genshin Impact continues to dominate the scene, with projections indicating a staggering 63 million players for November alone, according to data from CharlieIntel. While the game’s developers seem to deliver what players crave, a subset of enthusiasts seeks something more—a glimpse of content before its official release. In this fast-paced social media realm, those with access to leaked material can amass massive followings by sharing it. However, when it comes to Genshin Impact, publisher Cognosphere consistently takes legal action.
In a recent move, Cognosphere has filed a new DMCA subpoena application in a California district court, targeting four Twitter accounts: @HutaoLoverGI, @GIHutaoLover, @HutaoLover77, and @FurinaaLover. These accounts are suspected of sharing infringing content related to Genshin Impact. Cognosphere, holding the exclusive license for the game in various territories, aims to uncover the identities behind these accounts, alleging they are operated by the same individual or entity.
The DMCA takedown notices, sent by anti-piracy firm Remove Your Media, highlight the locations of the alleged infringing content. While the URLs for @HutaoLoverGI are still active, the associated images have been removed—a step in the ongoing battle against leaked content.
For those not deeply entrenched in the Genshin Impact community, deciphering the leaked content’s nature can be a challenge. The tweets themselves feature a Japanese-language hashtag (#原神リーク), which may offer clues elsewhere on Twitter. Nevertheless, the tweets’ popularity is undeniable, with one garnering 71,700 views and the other 191,300 views.
While Cognosphere undoubtedly views the leaked content as problematic, it sees it as an issue that falls within the realm of copyright law.
In addition to targeting the @HutaoLoverGI account, other DMCA takedown notices were sent to Twitter regarding content posted by three more accounts: @GIHutaoLover, @HutaoLover77, and @FurinaaLover. However, these three accounts are no longer accessible; two have been suspended for violating X/Twitter’s rules, while @FurinaaLover no longer exists.
The small white text on the right of each image indicates the allegedly infringing URLs, suggesting that, in terms of volume, the @HutaoLover77 account poses the most significant challenge.
What Comes Next…
Once DMCA subpoenas are obtained from courts in the United States, alleged leakers such as those mentioned above (and others like Ubatcha and many others) will face Twitter, Discord, or any other platforms they use, which will be required to hand over their personal details to Cognosphere.
Whether these details ultimately prove useful depends on the quality of information provided or left behind on X/Twitter by the account holders. However, what occurs after useful information is obtained is rarely discussed publicly.
According to the law, any information obtained as part of a DMCA subpoena may only be used by the copyright holders for the purpose of enforcing their rights. While the scope is narrowly defined for a reason, content protection is a broad field, and Cognosphere is unlikely to feel constrained.
