Fair Trade Commission Orders Amazon Subsidiary 'Twitch TV' to Amend Terms Following Google and Facebook

Market Structure of the One-Person Media Platform.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jusangdon] The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has corrected unfair terms and conditions of Amazon's subsidiary 'TwitchTV,' following Google and Facebook.

On the 19th, the KFTC announced that it reviewed the service terms of 'TwitchTV,' a one-person media platform specializing in games, and corrected five types of unfair contract terms, including unilateral contract termination and prohibition of litigation.

The KFTC conducted a review of the terms ex officio after issues were raised regarding Twitch's terms allowing unilateral deletion of streamers' copyrighted works or suspension of user accounts, and Twitch voluntarily made corrections during the review process.

First, the clause allowing the business operator to unilaterally terminate contracts and delete content was corrected. Twitch's terms stipulated that the operator could terminate contracts and delete content at any time at its discretion without notifying users. However, contract termination and content deletion restrict users' rights and must be based on specific and reasonable grounds, with individual notification to provide an opportunity to object. Accordingly, Twitch specified the reasons for contract termination as those stated in the terms and equivalent situations, and except in cases where notification is impossible (such as legal violations or security issues), it must notify the reasons without delay.

Additionally, Twitch had stipulated that users agree never to file lawsuits against Twitch for unauthorized copying or use of user content under any circumstances. This was corrected to allow litigation when Twitch can be held liable under Korean law.

Furthermore, the terms were revised to separate matters related to service terms and personal information collection items, obtaining separate consent from customers, and to provide prior notice of significant changes to the terms, which will take effect 30 days after such notice.

Clauses unfairly exempting the operator from responsibility were also corrected. Twitch's terms stated that the operator bears no responsibility for damages regardless of intent or negligence and arbitrarily limited liability. The terms were amended to clarify that exemption applies only within the scope permitted by law and does not exempt Twitch from responsibilities required by law.

Twitch has corrected the terms applicable in Korea and plans to post them on its homepage by the 31st of next month.

A KFTC official said, "By correcting Twitch's unilateral account termination and content deletion clauses following YouTube, we can protect the rights and interests of one-person media platform users," and added, "The KFTC plans to review terms between one-person operators and agencies (MCNs) to foster a healthy one-person media platform ecosystem."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.