Funko, the company behind the Funko Pop collectibles, has been accused of falsely flagging the indie game platform Itch.io with a phishing report, resulting in the temporary disabling of the website’s domain. The takedown occurred late on Sunday, December 8, with Itch.io addressing the issue publicly the following morning through their social media channels.
According to statements from Itch.io, Funko utilized an AI-powered brand protection tool called Brand Shield, which allegedly generated the false phishing report against the platform. This prompted iwantmyname, Itch.io’s domain registrar, to disable the site’s domain, leaving the platform inaccessible for a short period.
The incident highlights the potential pitfalls of automated brand protection systems and their impact on smaller platforms. It also raises concerns about how easily such tools can disrupt critical infrastructure for independent creators. Itch.io, a cornerstone of the indie gaming community, serves as a vital hub for developers to showcase, distribute, and monetize their work. Any disruption to its availability, even briefly, can have significant implications for the creators who rely on the platform.
While the site has since been restored, the situation has sparked debate about the accountability of corporations employing automated systems to enforce brand protection and the broader implications of their misuse.
Itch.io is a popular digital platform dedicated to empowering independent creators, particularly solo developers, by providing a versatile space to distribute, showcase, and monetize their projects. Catering to a diverse range of audiences and age demographics, Itch.io is widely recognized as an inclusive and developer-friendly alternative to larger, commercialized storefronts. Developers can easily upload their games or creative works, add detailed descriptions, include promotional materials such as screenshots and trailers, and even customize their game pages to align with their branding.
One of Itch.io’s standout features is its flexible pricing model. Developers can offer their games for free while allowing users to “pay what they want,” essentially operating as a voluntary donation system. This model is particularly beneficial for solo developers and small teams aiming to reach a wide audience while fostering community support.
The potential shutdown of Itch.io due to a phishing flag, linked to Funko Pop poses significant risks to the broader indie gaming ecosystem. Itch.io acts as a lifeline for countless independent creators, providing them with a platform to showcase their talent, distribute their work, and sustain their projects financially. A disruption, even temporary, could be catastrophic for developers who rely on the platform, not to mention the enthusiasts who prefer exploring unique indie gems over the often predictable AAA gaming experience.
Funko, an international toy company, is best known for its line of Funko Pop collectibles, which feature licensed designs from popular franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, and many more.
While Funko Pops have gained popularity, particularly among collectors, especially women and effluent demographics, they are often criticized as aesthetically unappealing, generic, and detrimental to the intellectual properties they represent.
Critics argue that these figures reduce creativity and individuality into a standardized, soulless format.
The idea of Funko targeting Itch.io with phishing reports seems absurd and unjustifiable, particularly given the unique purpose each entity serves. This controversy escalated when the owner of Itch.io revealed that Funko had taken an unusual and intrusive step, allegedly contacting their mother regarding the matter. Such actions, if true, raise serious questions about the motives and ethics of Funko in this dispute.
Funko has not directly addressed the allegation, which, if true, would likely be deemed both unlawful and wildly inappropriate, raising serious concerns about the company’s ethics and approach to such matters. Targeting individuals through their personal connections would reflect an unprofessional and intrusive overreach.
However, in a statement shared on social media, Funko “acknowledged” the broader situation, stating, “We hold a deep respect and appreciation for indie games, indie gamers, and indie developers.” The company explained that, according to one of its brand protection partners, a page on Itch.io had been identified as imitating the official website for Funko Fusion, prompting a takedown request for that specific page.
Funko clarified that the request was not intended to impact the entire platform, concluding, “We’re happy the site was back up by this morning.”
Funko’s response notably did not include an apology or address the specific claims made by Itch.io’s owner regarding their family being contacted over the phishing reports. These reports were made by BrandShield, a technology company based in Herzliya, Israel, that specializes in using AI and “big-data-based” solutions to monitor online threats to brand integrity.
Companies like BrandShield have faced regular criticism for misusing legal mechanisms, sometimes engaging in copyright trolling or making questionable claims that require significant effort or legal action to dispute.
In its own statement, BrandShield claimed that the decision to take down the entire Itch.io domain was “made by the service providers” rather than being directly initiated by BrandShield itself. However, as pointed out by many commenters on Twitter, the takedown request sent to Itch.io’s domain registrar wasn’t a standard DMCA notice addressing alleged copyright infringement.
Instead, it was labeled as a “fraud and phishing” complaint. This distinction is critical, as such complaints carry far more severe implications. Unlike a DMCA takedown that targets specific offending content, a fraud and phishing complaint can lead to the domain registrar disabling the entire website under the premise of malicious activity, effectively bypassing the web host’s usual mechanisms for addressing DMCA takedown requests.
The alleged offending content, a page mimicking the branding of Funko Fusion, a game featuring the widely criticized Funko Pop figures was therefore treated as a cybersecurity issue, resulting in far-reaching consequences that extended well beyond what a typical copyright complaint would entail.
For now, Itch.io remains online, as the issue appears to have been resolved. The specific page flagged for resembling Funko Fusion has been removed. However, neither Funko nor BrandShield has taken responsibility for the drastic and disproportionate actions that temporarily disrupted the entire platform. Neither party has issued an apology, leaving the indie gaming community frustrated and skeptical.
This debacle has only added fuel to the fire of criticism against Funko and its line of Funko Pop figures, which were already widely derided as the lowest form of memorabilia. Critics often mock the stereotypical collectors of these figurines as scraping the bottom of the masculinity hierarchy, further tarnishing the brand’s reputation in the eyes of its detractors.
