Amazon-owned Twitch Interactive is embroiled in a legal battle following a ruling from a Russian court in favor of Kirill Konstantinovich Malofeyev, known online as Likkrit. This lawsuit stems from the suspension of Malofeyev’s Twitch account, which occurred in 2022 amid U.S. sanctions against certain Russians.
Twitch filed a 25-page lawsuit in a San Francisco court after Malofeyev successfully sued the company in Russia. The Russian court ruled that Twitch violated Malofeyev’s rights by suspending and demonetizing his account due to sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The court has mandated that Twitch either restore Malofeyev’s account or face a daily penalty of 100,000 rubles for non-compliance. This penalty doubles each week, leading Twitch to claim it has reached an unmanageable amount.
In 2023, Malofeyev initiated a Turkish Enforcement Action to enforce the Russian ruling, targeting Amazon’s office in Turkey. Twitch argues that the agreements signed by Malofeyev were with the platform itself, not Amazon, which it believes invalidates the enforcement actions.
Twitch is seeking relief through the U.S. court system to prevent the Russian judgment from taking effect and to compel arbitration, as outlined in its terms of service agreements.
The ongoing situation highlights the complexities of international law and the impact of geopolitical tensions on digital platforms.
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