The itch.io domain was back up and running at 7 a.m. ET, according to media reports, “after the registrant finally responded to our notice and took appropriate steps to resolve the issue.” Users could access the site at any time by typing the itch.io IP address directly into their web browser.
A shield too strong?
BrandShield's website describes it as a service that “detects and searches for trademark infringement, counterfeit sales, and online brand abuse across multiple platforms.” The company claims to have several Fortune 500 and FTSE100 companies on its client list.
In its own series of social media posts, BrandShield said its “AI-powered platform” had identified “an abuse of Funko… from an itch.io subdomain.” The takedown request it filed focused on that subdomain, not the entirety of itch.io, BrandShield said.
“The temporary removal of the Website was a decision made by the service providers, not BrandShield or Funko.”
The whole affair highlights how the delicate network of domain registrars and DNS servers can continue to be a key point of failure for web-based businesses. In May, we saw how desynchronization of a single DNS root server could cause problems across the entire Internet. And in 2012, the hacker collective Anonymous highlighted the possibility of a coordinated attack taking down the entire DNS system.