Minecraft

2026-02-11T09:41:27Z

Somehundred: /* DMCA takedowns of competing games */ Microsoft has withdrawn the DMCA complaint

{{ProductCargo
|Company=Mojang, Microsoft
|ProductLine=Minecraft
|Logo=Minecraft logo.svg
|ReleaseYear=2011
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Video Games
|Website=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us
|Description=Minecraft is a sandbox video game meant for younger audiences
}}

'''{{wplink|Minecraft|Minecraft}}''' is a 2011 multiplayer sandbox game made by [[Mojang|Mojang Studios]]. Once acquired by [[Microsoft]], the game began to harvest telemetry data, force users to comply with an ever shifting EULA to keep access to the paid game, and hide various clauses in the EULA from the public.

==Consumer impact summary==
Under [[Microsoft]]'s ownership, Minecraft has undergone multiple anti-consumer changes in order to acquire more user data and utilizing undisclosed and an ever changing EULA terms to censor user-generated content. These practices are especially concerning since a significant amount of Minecraft players are children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Capel |first=Chris J |date=2019-09-25 |title=Believe it or not, the average age of a Minecraft player is 24 |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/player-age |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018082457/https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/player-age |archive-date=2019-10-18 |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=PCGamesN}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Minecraft account migration===
{{Main|Minecraft account migration}}
On October 21st, 2020, [[Mojang]] announced that all Minecraft Java Edition users must migrate their Mojang accounts to Microsoft accounts to retain access to the game. On December 18th, 2023, consumers who did not do so lost access and needed to re-purchase the game to regain it. Any game progress, including purchased first and third party in-game items were lost.

===Minecraft post-purchase ownership rights changes===
{{Main|Minecraft post-purchase ownership rights changes}}
Before Microsoft's acquisition of Mojang, the sole developer of Minecraft, Markus Persson, advocating for consumer ownership, promised [[Digital rights management|DRM]]-free, free optional software updates, and a free copy of the fully released version for every earlier buyer.<ref name=":22">,{{Cite web |date=2011-09-23 |title=Minecraft - About the game |url=http://www.minecraft.net/store/game |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923112156/http://www.minecraft.net/store/game |archive-date=2011-09-23 |website=www.minecraft.net}}</ref>

Post acquisition of Mojang, all the previous buyers of Minecraft who failed to stop accepting updates in time, had to choose between forfeiting ownership or losing the option to use the software offline. Microsoft enacted several EULA changes which turned the game into a license with DRM that can be terminated by the company anytime.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-30 |title=Microsoft Services Agreement |url=https://www.microsoft.com/servicesagreement |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930001856/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement |archive-date=2024-09-30 |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=microsoft.com}}</ref>

===Minecraft enforcing undisclosed server EULA terms===
{{Main|Minecraft enforcing undisclosed server EULA terms}}
Minecraft began taking action against mod developers and servers in 2023 for using firearms, which was deemed 'adult' by their [[End-user license agreement|EULA]]. When asked for clarification of the changes made to their EULA, Mojang gave little response, and eventually pointed them to a new EULA which had been changed without either informing consumers about the change or asking for permission to change the contract. This information was available only internally, and was later revealed by whistleblowers, since the documents holding the internal changes to their EULA was held under NDA.

In addition they selectively ignore their own EULA rules on "gambling" (loot boxes and literally gambling) servers, and even made contract with [[wikipedia:Nerf|Nerf]] to create Minecraft inspired weapons and in game items, while still refusing to allow weapon mods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderca |first=Cristina |date=2023-10-02 |title=NERF World brings blasters into Minecraft |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/nerf-world-brings-blasters-minecraft |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180846/https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/nerf-world-brings-blasters-minecraft |archive-date=2023-10-02 |access-date=2025-08-19 |work=Minecraft}}</ref>

===Mojang shuts down community-run Minecraft servers===
{{Main|Mojang shuts down community-run Minecraft servers}}

For the past 5-8 years, [[Mojang]] have enforced countless server shutdowns citing violations of the Minecraft End User License Agreement (EULA). However, said enforcements have been unfairly biased against operators of smaller [[Minecraft]] Java Edition servers, abusing vague and often inaccessible community guidelines to shut down these servers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Hold Mojang Accountable For Their Unlawful Behaviour |url=https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=GoFundMe}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Suing Minecraft Because They Broke The Law & Pissed Me Off |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |title=Lawsuit Video Accompanying Document |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.8vmqv8enui5u |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Google Docs}}</ref>

An example of this occurred in late 2024 involving the [[Minecraft]] server '''McWar''<nowiki/>', wherein Mojang contacted the developer of the server to shut it down.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

===Minecraft Beta pre-1.8's lack of authentication===
{{Main|Minecraft Beta pre-1.8's lack of authentication}}
In version Beta 1.8, Mojang has changed the endpoint used for authentication on Minecraft servers from "www.minecraft.net" to "session.minecraft.net". Unknown amount of time later the original endpoint used for the authentication was shut down, breaking authentication support for several old Minecraft versions, despite no actual changes in the behavior of the endpoint. The latter endpoint still works, despite being insecure (supports HTTP requests, with token being within the URL parameters) - this means that the shutdown is likely not a security concern.

Lack of authentication has caused several Minecraft servers to:

*lose part of the playerbase due to a need of modding the game client (and server) to fix the authentication issue,
*become completely insecure by allowing non-premium Minecraft users to join (e.g. opens the risk of botting the server, or brute-forcing user login passwords),
*break the EULA of the game due to allowing non-premium Minecraft users to join their server.

===DMCA takedowns of competing games===
There has been a documented history of Microsoft submitting [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|DMCA]] takedown notices to various voxel-based sandbox games which act as competition to Minecraft. As of ''February 10th, 2026'', the latest takedown was the project Allumeria,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazeriio |date=Feb 10, 2026 |title=Tweet from Mazeriio |url=https://xcancel.com/Mazeriio/status/2021128578742513930 |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=X formerly [[Twitter]]}}</ref> which existed as a wholly original project that was unreasonably delisted from Steam. The following is a complete list of competing games taken down by Microsoft.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Game
!Takedown Date
!Summary
!Related Article (if applicable)
|-
|MC.JS
|Circa Aug. 2019
|Microsoft issued a DMCA takedown notice to a developer who created MC.JS, a JavaScript-based browser version of Minecraft hosted on GitHub.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |date=September 1, 2019 |title=Microsoft Puts Blocks On In-Browser Minecraft Clone |url=https://torrentfreak.com/microsoft-puts-blocks-on-in-browser-minecraft-clone-190831/ |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=Torrent Freak}}</ref> The notice cited copyright infringement, trademark violations, and unauthorized use of Minecraft's imagery and textures, resulting in the project being removed from GitHub. An archived snapshot of the page shows that the only infringing contents were referring to itself as a "Minecraft clone" and using a singular texture from the game,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tominous |title=MC.JS Github page |url=https://github.com/ideaplexus/mc.js/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125143334/https://github.com/ideaplexus/mc.js/ |archive-date=Nov 25, 2020 |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref> both of which could have easily been requested to be removed.
|
|-
|Eaglercraft
|Circa Feb. 2023
|Microsoft issued a DMCA takedown to 92 individual repositories hosting Eaglercraft, a decompilation of Minecraft. Microsoft claimed it was a violation of the EULA and Terms of Use of Minecraft.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=February 24, 2023 |title=Mojang Targets Repositories of Browser-Based Minecraft Copy ‘Eaglercraft’ |url=https://torrentfreak.com/mojang-targets-repositories-of-browser-based-minecraft-copy-eaglercraft-230224/ |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |work=Torrent Freak}}</ref>
|[[Eaglercraft Takedows]]
|-
|N/A
|Jan. 29, 2025
|Mojang enforcement issued a DMCA takedown notice to [[Cloudflare]] over the chat service Revolt (now Stoat) supposedly being a Minecraft clone because of the platform hosting screenshots of an unknown Minecraft clone.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-29 |title=2025-01-29 mojang copyright infringement complaint |url=https://wiki.revolt.chat/notes/transparency/abuse-reports/2025-01-29-mojang-copyright-infringement-complaint/ |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=Revolt Wiki}}</ref> In a subsequent email, a different actor representing [[Microsoft]], [[Tracer.ai]], sent another takedown notice over the same assets.<ref name=":3" />
|
|-
|Allumeria
|Feb. 10, 2026
|[[Microsoft]] submitted a [[DMCA]] notice to [[Valve]] via [[Tracer.ai]] over Allumeria after its systems detected that the game was supposedly using stolen assets from the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazeriio |date=Feb 10, 2026 |title=Tweet from Mazeriio |url=https://xcancel.com/Mazeriio/status/2021128578742513930 |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=X formerly [[Twitter]]}}</ref> In an archived snapshot of Allumeria's [[Steam]] page, no assets were discernibly taken from Minecraft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unomelon |title=Allumeria's Steam page |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3516590/Allumeria/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250308151651/https://store.steampowered.com/app/3516590/Allumeria/ |archive-date=Mar 8, 2025 |access-date=Feb 10, 2026 |website=[[Steam]]}}</ref> A day later, Microsoft withdrew the complaint and Allumeria was reinstated on Steam store page.<ref>[[File:Screenshot_from_Allumeria_Discord_server.png|thumb|Screenshot from Allumeria Discord server announcing that game has been reinstated on Steam.]]
</ref>
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|}

==See also==

*[[Microsoft]]
*[[Mojang]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Microsoft]]

File:Screenshot from Allumeria Discord server.png

2026-02-11T09:36:54Z

Somehundred:

Allumeria developer announces that game has been reinstated on Steam.

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Minecraft

File:Screenshot from Allumeria Discord server.png