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{{Main|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>
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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211012327/https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</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 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203004450/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</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" />
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" />
Mods that bypass the IP Address blocklist that enforce these shutdowns have received takedowns by Tracer on the behalf of Microsoft under §1201 of the DMCA.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-23 |title=dmca/2025/10/2025-10-23-minecraft-3.md at aad92ffb439b3a6b5f0666fe56c669a01f568052 · github/dmca |url=https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/aad92ffb439b3a6b5f0666fe56c669a01f568052/2025/10/2025-10-23-minecraft-3.md?plain=1#L45 |url-status=live |website=GitHub}}</ref>


===Minecraft Beta pre-1.8's lack of authentication===
===Minecraft Beta pre-1.8's lack of authentication===
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*break the EULA of the game due to allowing non-premium Minecraft users to join their server.
*break the EULA of the game due to allowing non-premium Minecraft users to join their server.


=== DMCA takedowns of competing games<!-- Incidents that need research before inclusion: https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/39fu0s/dmca_takedown/  --> ===
===Mojang requires age verification in order to chat in the UK<!-- Section SEVERELY needs references! -->===
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.<!-- Keep the table organized chronologically please! -->
{{Incomplete section}}{{Main|Minecraft Chat Reporting and Restriction}}
In February 2026, Mojang has decided to implement mandatory age verification in the United Kingdom to access some features.{{Citation needed}} Although players still have access to play the game, they miss out on social features.{{Citation needed}} The big issue is players will now be locked out of the chat feature in the game which is essentially what keeps the online connection alive in the many servers players have access to.{{Citation needed}} In order to get this feature that has always been included automatically (regardless of age) UK residents must now verify their identity by using Yoti (a third-party service).{{Citation needed}} This is a huge blow to the Minecraft community as many of the games players are children.{{Citation needed}} Famous players such as TommyInnit (who's career took off due to his Minecraft streams and VODS later posted on YouTube) were under the age of 18 when they started to gain popularity.{{Citation needed}}<!-- Honestly maybe this line could be purged, seems to be more an appeal to reason than demonstrating a flaw with this --><!--I would agree as anyone mentioned should be the ones showing the issue at hand rather than a history of someone popular which does not contribute to this issue,as shown in the citation no.9 by sportskeeda showing tweets by minecraft youtuber which also shows the pop-up message from Mojang--> Although these players had access to outside game voice chats with other players, many don't have access to the proper equipment required to do so, solely relying on the in-game chat. This mass majority of players in the UK will now have to verify their age and sell their data to a third-party service in order to get one of the most essential features in the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kabra |first=Akshat |date=2026-02-22 |title=Age verification in Minecraft: Everything you need to know |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/minecraft/age-verification-minecraft-everything-need-know |url-status=live |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=sportskeeda}}</ref><!-- This Article (Age verification in Minecraft: Everything you need to know) (citaion no.8)is good as I think it covers quite enough info for this section as it has some Influencer "tweets" cited there. So I think this section can be made around it, hopefully anyone who will work on this finds this helpful. P.S (I just added this article to the IA so if you are working on this please add the archived link to the citation Thanks) --><!-- Line needs to be purged; just a repeat of previous information -->
 
===DMCA takedowns of competing games<!-- Incidents that need research before inclusion: https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/39fu0s/dmca_takedown/  -->===
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 name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Mazeriio |date=Feb 10, 2026 |title=Tweet from Mazeriio |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/Mazeriio/status/2021128578742513930 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121352/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/Mazeriio/status/2021128578742513930 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |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.<!-- Keep the table organized chronologically please! -->
{| class="wikitable"
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|MC.JS
|MC.JS
|Circa Aug. 2019
|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.<!-- I find it odd that IA has a snapshot of the game from AFTER the takedown... -->
|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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260215012038/https://torrentfreak.com/microsoft-puts-blocks-on-in-browser-minecraft-clone-190831/ |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</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.<!-- I find it odd that IA has a snapshot of the game from AFTER the takedown... -->
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|Eaglercraft
|Eaglercraft
|Circa Feb. 2023<!-- Tentative date, needs further research to find the first known DMCA of Eaglercraft -->
|Circa Feb. 2023<!-- Tentative date, needs further research to find the first known DMCA of Eaglercraft -->
|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 is a fascinating case with several takedown incidents occurring, and STILL happening. I recommend further research and publishing all data gathered to a dedicated article. - JamesTDG
|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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260213042505/https://torrentfreak.com/mojang-targets-repositories-of-browser-based-minecraft-copy-eaglercraft-230224/ |archive-date=13 Feb 2026}}</ref><!-- Eaglercraft is a fascinating case with several takedown incidents occurring, and STILL happening. I recommend further research and publishing all data gathered to a dedicated article. - JamesTDG


P.S.: https://web.archive.org/web/20240129142216/https://github.com/lax1dude/eaglercraftx-1.8
P.S.: https://web.archive.org/web/20240129142216/https://github.com/lax1dude/eaglercraftx-1.8
https://torrentfreak.com/mojang-continues-crackdown-on-minecraft-pirates-230224/ -->
https://torrentfreak.com/mojang-continues-crackdown-on-minecraft-pirates-230224/ -->
|[[Eaglercraft Takedows]]
|[[Eaglercraft Takedows]]
|-
|Luanti
|Circa Mar. 2023
|Luanti (formerly known as Minetest at the time), an open source voxel game platform had its Android app taken down from Google Play by a DMCA takedown from a company representing Mojang, claiming it was infringing of their copyright.<ref>https://github.com/luanti-org/luanti/issues/13363#issuecomment-1485528633 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250313234718/https://github.com/luanti-org/luanti/issues/13363 Archived])</ref> The app was later restored in May after filing a counter-notice with no response.
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|N/A
|N/A
|Jan. 29, 2025
|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" />
|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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211025827/https://wiki.revolt.chat/notes/transparency/abuse-reports/2025-01-29-mojang-copyright-infringement-complaint/ |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref> In a subsequent email, a different actor representing [[Microsoft]], [[Tracer.ai]], sent another takedown notice over the same assets.<ref name=":3" />
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|Allumeria
|Allumeria
|Feb. 10, 2026
|Feb. 10, 2026
|[[Microsoft]] submitted a [[DMCA]] notice to [[Valve]] 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>
|[[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 name=":4" /> 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:Allumeria Discord server screenshot.png|A screenshot from Allumeria Discord server announcing that game has been reinstated on Steam.]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Unomelon |date=2026-02-11 |title=Post by @unomelon.bsky.social |url=https://bsky.app/profile/unomelon.bsky.social/post/3mekpz2kras2t |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260211090940/https://bsky.app/profile/unomelon.bsky.social/post/3mekpz2kras2t |archive-date=2026-02-11 |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=Bluesky}}</ref><!-- I don't know if the Bluesky post is enough or rather "better" as I had discussed this before on discord and a fellow CRW user did say it is ok so I used it here. -->
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