Parody site 'ClownStrike' won't surrender to CrowdStrike's legal threat
IT consultant David Senk, founder of the parody site 'ClownStrike,' has declined to comply with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Senk launched clownstrike.lol on July 24, mocking the largest IT outage in history caused by CrowdStrike's faulty software update. The parody site initially featured an unaltered version of CrowdStrike's Falcon logo before adding a rainbow propeller hat to it. The logo then transitions into a clown while circus music plays.
ClownStrike received notice on July 31
On July 31, Senk received a DMCA notice from Cloudflare's trust and safety team, which was hosting ClownStrike. The notice was issued on behalf of CrowdStrike by CSC Digital Brand Services's global anti-fraud team. They demanded the immediate removal of the CrowdStrike logo from ClownStrike or risk having Cloudflare take down the entire site.
Senk challenges DMCA demand, moves site to Finland
Senk contested the takedown notice with Cloudflare, arguing that ClownStrike was a parody and his use of the CrowdStrike logos should be considered fair use. However, Cloudflare did not respond to or acknowledge receipt of his counter-notice. Following this, Senk relocated his parody site to a Hetzner server in Finland, which he believed would be less susceptible to DMCA takedown requests.
DMCA, Cloudflare's counter-notice system criticized
Senk expressed frustration with the DMCA, stating, "The DMCA requires service providers to 'act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the infringing material,' yet it gives those same 'service providers' 14 days to restore access in the event of a counternotice!" He also criticized Cloudflare's counter-notice system as "hilariously ineffective" and accused it of favoring corporations over citizens.
CrowdStrike responds to the takedown controversy
CrowdStrike declined to comment directly on the ClownStrike takedown, according to Ars Technica. However, the company suggested that the parody site may have been mistakenly targeted in their anti-fraud efforts. The company stated, "As part of our proactive fraud management activities, CrowdStrike's anti-fraud partners have issued more than 500 takedown notices in the last two weeks."
