Genshin Impact repository GenshinData gets DMCA takedown “despite not hosting leak content”

GenshinData, a repository of Genshin Impact resources, has been issued a DMCA takedown apparently by Hoyoverse, according to host Dimbreath. The notice can be read through this pastebin, with private information redacted out.

As Dimbreath puts it, the DMCA takedown of GenshinData will be affecting a fairly extensive list of other websites and projects which have been utilizing the data compiled within the repository’s GitHub either directly or indirectly. You can read Dimbreath’s full letter below:

A lot of Genshin tool and website developers use GenshinData, a free library of extracted in-game information that I maintain. This project has been the foundation for hundreds of community-driven projects throughout the last 2 years.

GenshinData’s GitHub repository has recently received a DMCA takedown notice requesting its removal, allegedly from miHoYo / Hoyoverse. The goal of this post is to inform people, whether they’re directly or indirectly affected, creators and users alike.

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GenshinData is a project that I maintained which provided the game data of the latest live version of Genshin (meaning no beta or unreleased content), transformed into a format that people could use for their own projects. It has served as a resource of reliable data for guide creators, youtubers, wiki contributors and developers that build their own websites, Discord bots, or APIs with the data. I’ve been managing it since the release of the game in 2020 for every single patch until the current version.

Mihoyo is well aware of GitHub projects, including GenshinData. They have taken down other projects that I’ve started after this one (such as a similar repository with the data for their other game, Honkai Impact). It is understandable for Mihoyo to patrol GitHub for various repositories – projects such as those involve creating cheats should not be allowed to exist. But GenshinData is not one such project. It is simply a collection of data from the live game.

I am not sure of the reasons why they’ve decided to suddenly take this action after two years. I personally think this is one of the most harmful things they could’ve done to content creation and the community that uses said content.

I will proceed to comply with their request after publishing this letter and after that I will decide the next steps forward on whether it’s worth seeking advice and how.

On this same thread I will link a few projects that I reached out to that use or used the content from this project and share my sentiments. All of them were asked for permission with the exception of Fandom / Wikia, as it’s a public community resource. If your project is not listed here and uses or used this repository, or any project that adapts the data of this repository, feel free to comment on my replies and I’ll try to add them.

Dimbreath would like to stress that the repository has never hosted leaks, but the repository will be down regardless in order to comply.

There are fans rallying against this takedown, claiming things such as:

• Developers being actively hostile towards players and not improving the game experience
• Developers being “petty” due to being unable to prevent leaks
• Developers implementing their in-house systems and “don’t want competition”

As mentioned, there are other sites that use the data from the GenshinData repository, but it’s unclear when, if ever, the rest of them will also be issued DMCA takedown notices, or where they would get their own data for their iteration of the resources.

The takedown is certainly within Hoyoverse’s right since it is still their intellectual property, but it doesn’t mean the legality of it would make fans any more content with the situation. Don’t be surprised if external sites do get taken offline if Hoyoverse really decides to crack down.

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