"This is not a joke, Funko just called my mom"

Incident overview

• Discussion centers on Funko’s “brand protection” partner triggering a takedown that briefly removed itch.io’s domain and then, bizarrely, contacted the founder’s mother (likely from old WHOIS data).
• A specific subpage allegedly imitated the “Funko Fusion” site; the page and account were removed after initial complaints, but the domain was later put on hold by the registrar.

Funko, BrandShield, and responsibility

• Funko’s public statement: they respect indie games, only intended a takedown of a specific page, and blame a partner and “service providers” for the full-domain outage.
• BrandShield’s statement similarly claims they requested only a URL-level takedown, not the entire domain, and shifts blame to providers; they also urge platforms to improve “self‑regulation.”
• Multiple commenters argue these statements are misleading: a registrar cannot act on a single URL, so contacting the registrar for “fraud/phishing” is effectively a domain-level attack.
• Many insist that Funko remains responsible for actions taken by its contracted agent and should face reputational consequences if it keeps the relationship.

Registrar conduct

• Significant criticism is directed at the registrar (iwantmyname) for disabling a long‑standing, reputable domain without contacting the registrant or properly closing the abuse ticket.
• Some note that fraud complaints are treated more urgently than copyright complaints, but argue that this makes false fraud reports especially dangerous and legally risky for registrars.

Systemic issues: DMCA, brand enforcement, and abuse

• Commenters liken “brand protection” outfits to debt collectors: mass-complaint operations using fear and overreach, often with little follow‑through.
• Concern that AI‑driven enforcement and misclassified complaints (fraud instead of copyright) will worsen over‑takedowns and chill independent creators.
• Broader critique that copyright and platform policies function as “techno‑feudalism,” where large firms can cheaply weaponize takedowns while small creators lack recourse.

Power, governance, and side discussions

• Extended tangents discuss abuse of power generally, calls for harsher penalties (e.g., income-based fines), and alternative governance models like sortition/lottocracy and “democratic technocracy.”
• Many see this episode as emblematic of unaccountable corporate power and misaligned incentives across enforcement vendors, platforms, and registrars.
• Thread includes dark humor, mockery of Funko and BrandShield, and personal anecdotes about authority figures “calling your mom” as a punishment tactic.