It is strongly advised that readers do not replicate the actions described in this article. Maintaining a positive community atmosphere requires collective effort. Disrupting others’ enjoyment for personal gain is a highly detrimental behavior.
The Steam Workshop is a cornerstone of the Steam platform’s community ecosystem， serving as a space for users to share and distribute their creations. Players can upload， download， and subscribe to a wide array of content， including mods， maps， and skins， thereby enriching gameplay and personalizing their gaming experiences.
However， a pervasive sense of unease and apprehension is currently spreading throughout the Steam Workshop community.
The DMCA， or Digital Millennium Copyright Act， is a United States copyright law enacted in 1998 to address copyright infringement in the digital age. It provides copyright holders with accessible online complaint channels， such as issuing “take-down notices” to request the removal of allegedly infringing content. The act also outlines mechanisms for counter-notifications and safe harbors.
A segment of users， identifying a perceived laxity in the system， has begun initiating a wave of DMCA “copyright strikes” against mods hosted on the Steam Workshop for numerous games. There is speculation that automated script programs may be involved in this widespread action. Games affected by this phenomenon include， but are not limited to， “Project Zomboid，” “RimWorld，” “Left 4 Dead 2，” “Garry’s Mod，” and “Terraria.”
Player testing has indicated that the DMCA review process appears to be remarkably lenient， as even seemingly innocuous mods have received copyright warnings. This observation suggests that the likelihood of a legitimate， large-scale action originating from a specific or limited number of copyright holders is comparatively low. Instead， the ease of submitting these complaints has potentially opened the door for misuse by individuals seeking to disrupt the community or cause inconvenience.
