Ethan Klein explains why he’s “nervous” for xQc after Twitch attorney comments
Twitch: Ethan Klein / xQcIn the wake of Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel’s Twitch DMCA counter-claim, Ethan Klein explained why he’s nervous for him, claiming the lawyer he hired is “horrible” and “royally screwed” him in the past.
Twitch banned xQc on July 28 after he broadcasted snippets of the Tokyo Olympics on his channel. He claimed that he took “necessary precautions” and thought it would be fine. However, he also acknowledged that it could have been “easily avoided.”
But after sensing some potential red flags with their decision, he talked to his legal team and decided to issue a counter-claim against the party who issued the copyright strike, the International Olympic Committee, which could lead to a lawsuit.
His attorney, Ryan Morrison, also known as the ‘Video Game Attorney,’ described the situation in more detail. “We discussed all options with Felix, and he is confident, as are we, that the content in question was fair use,” he said. “As such, he made the call to take a stand.”
About @xQc – We see countless DMCAs come in for our clients, and we normally advise not to counter due to the extreme risks. We discussed all options with Felix and he is confident, as are we, that the content in question was fair use. As such, he made the call to take a stand.
— Ryan Morrison (@Morrison) August 2, 2021
However, the fact Morrison is xQc’s attorney has gotten Ethan “nervous.” He explained that Morrison also represented him early on in his case against Matt Hoss and claimed he was a “horrible” attorney who “royally screwed him.”
“His lawyer, the Video Game Attorney, was our first attorney to represent us in the lawsuit against Matt Hoss many years ago,” he said. “He is a horrible attorney that royally screwed us, and the fact that he’s handling this makes me very, very nervous.
He also explained that once they replaced him with a different team, the new attorneys were shocked at how poorly the case was handled and even considered launching a malpractice case against him, although it didn’t eventuate.
Ethan wasn’t afraid to share his thoughts. However, it hasn’t seemed to impact xQc’s decision in the slightest. So, it will be interesting to see how the Twitch DMCA counter-claim will play out.
Morrison believes the IOC will “make the right decision” and “let [the case] die.” But he asserted that he and his team are “ready to defend Felix no matter how they choose to proceed.”