The studio claims DMCA takedowns were an outsourced system error.
UPDATE: Kane Parsons has heard from A24.
In a private Discord chat, Kane says he contacted A24 and they claimed the wallpaper takedowns were an outsourced system error and should be resolved.
“They’re very much on the side of the community over here. They have been insistent since day one on keeping the community protected as it always has been”
He thinks a third party is acting out. Other theories from the community include someone impersonating A24 to copyright strike games and other content.
He also commented on a fan account ‘Backrooms Online’ being taken down. We did not include that in our original story as that was always highly unlikely to be done by A24.
A24 has also made a statement:
“As Kane Parsons has made clear, Backrooms is one part of an infinitely bigger ecosystem, rife with creatives who have every right to tell their own version of the story. Yesterday we were made aware of an automated claim submitted to Redbubble on behalf of A24 and Backrooms movie. We immediately began the process to reverse it and reinstate the listings. A24 makes no claim of ownership over the yellow wallpaper, the original post referencing it, or any of the community works that have since been built around it. We will continue to support the artists who, like Kane, were inspired by it.”
Kane Parsons has also added that A24 already has the rights to any future Backrooms project he does, and he does not support their AI deal with Google.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW:
Backrooms creator Kane Parsons says he’s investigating reports that A24 has been issuing copyright strikes against Backrooms-inspired artwork and indie games, commenting that the situation ‘should not be happening”.
The response comes after multiple creators claimed that “A24 Films LLC” had filed copyright complaints against Backrooms-related projects. One artist alleged their Backrooms-inspired wallpaper design was removed from Redbubble despite being based on the original 2019 Backrooms image rather than any material from A24’s film. Other users also shared examples of similar artwork reportedly being taken down.
The allegations extend beyond fan art. Indie developer Davilkus Games says three copyright strikes resulted in its Google Play developer account being banned. The studio also claimed it was forced to rename its game from Exit the Backrooms: Level 94 to Liminal Complex: Level 94 after Google cited its impersonation policy, adding that several other small Backrooms developers were affected in what it described as a broader wave of removals.
Parsons addressed the reports in a comment on Reddit, stating he is “looking into this” and that it “should not be happening.” While A24 owns the rights to the Backrooms film and any original assets created for it, the Backrooms concept itself originated from an anonymous 4chan post in 2019 and has since grown into a community-driven internet horror phenomenon with no single owner of the underlying idea.
Backrooms success has spawned Hollywood to search the internet for more IPs to use, with at least four other projects in development based on internet creations. Check out our article on them here.
A24 has yet to release an official comment. This is a developing story and we will continue to update as more information comes in.
For more film updates, check out our site.
