Several creators within the Warhammer community have found themselves at the center of a growing copyright controversy on YouTube. A company calling itself Internet Enforcement Markscan, or MarkScan Enforcement, has issued multiple copyright strikes against Warhammer-related videos on several independent channels, asserting it represents Games Workshop, the IP owner of the Warhammer franchise. The claims are now threatening creators’ livelihoods, yet YouTube continues to enforce them without independently verifying that the company is authorized to act for Games Workshop at all.
Who Is Being Affected?
Among the affected creators are The Automatic Singer, The Amber King, and GrimDark Narrator. Their channels vary in format—from music to lore analysis to story narration—but the common thread is unmistakable: Warhammer-related content is being targeted by the same enforcement entity, while other content on their channels remains untouched.
For The Automatic Singer, this pattern has led to catastrophic consequences. Although his channel includes music spanning many fandoms, the recent strikes have focused exclusively on his Warhammer 40k songs. In a public YouTube post he wrote:
“At first glance, it looked like the strikes were coming from Games Workshop. But when I actually looked at the emails, I am not convinced they are from Games Workshop at all. The emails come from a company calling itself Internet Enforcement MarkScan… From what I can find, they are not associated with Games Workshop, and it does not appear that they even have the rights to issue these strikes.”
Because of these claims, The Automatic Singer is in danger of losing his entire channel. That termination will be enforced by the end of January 2026 if the strikes are not contested and the rulings reversed. Although he has filed a counter-notification through YouTube, there is no guarantee that the process will conclude before his channel faces permanent deletion—a scenario that will erase years of content and community engagement without any direct adjudication of Markscan’s authority.
Creators with wholly Warhammer-focused channels have found themselves in similar scenarios. The Amber King, well-known in the Warhammer 40k community for his deep dives into lore, has had several videos struck in a nearly identical fashion. GrimDark Narrator, whose channel includes Warhammer Fantasy storytelling and audiobooks, reports the same pattern of third-party enforcement disrupting his ability to upload and engage his audience. In his public statement, GrimDark notes that his channel will be deleted by the end of the month if the strikes are not reversed, mirroring the very same imminent threat faced by The Automatic Singer.
Taken together, these cases paint a concerning picture of selective targeting of Warhammer content: the same IP, the same claimant, and the same enforcement trajectory across multiple channels.
Internet Enforcement Markscan: Authority in Question
Despite the mounting questions about the validity of these claims, YouTube has continued to enforce them without transparent—or even diligent—verification. That enforcement is significant because YouTube’s copyright system assumes requesters are legitimate rights holders or otherwise authorized agents. In this case, Internet Enforcement Markscan’s assertions are being treated as valid without public evidence that the company is in fact authorized to act on behalf of Games Workshop.
Concerns about Markscan’s enforcement practices extend even beyond the Warhammer community. On review platforms, users have described receiving takedown notices from Markscan with little or no documentation and frustratingly minimal response from the company when pressed for clarification. Multiple reviewers on Trustpilot say they received claims from Markscan without being provided evidence of legal authority, and allege that communication from the company was unresponsive or vague.
Creators in unrelated niches have also voiced frustration in online forums after receiving copyright strikes they feel were unwarranted. In one Reddit thread, a creator complained that “MarkScan didn’t clarify whether the strike was for the audio … or the lyrics text on screen. They just claimed the whole video.” In another discussion, a user reported that their channel faced potential termination within days unless a disputed takedown was resolved—underscoring how quickly strikes can escalate.
The Consequences of YouTube’s Inaction
YouTube’s apparent unwillingness to contest or independently verify these claims leaves creators with little protection. Once a claim is filed, it triggers enforcement actions that can result in demonetization, blocked uploads, and eventually channel termination if enough strikes accumulate. For creators whose content is their livelihood, and whose communities rely on consistent engagement, the risk of losing access without a clear path to rapid resolution is profound and infuriating.
This is not simply a dispute over niche content. It is a test case for how much power third-party enforcement companies can wield in the absence of transparent and proper verification. If Internet Enforcement Markscan is not authorized by Games Workshop, then legitimate content creators are being penalized based on an unverified assertion. If it is authorized, then the lack of public confirmation or evidence has allowed confusion, frustration, and distrust to flourish among creators trying to make their work accessible.
Either way, YouTube’s current system treats Markscan’s claims as authoritative, placing creators like The Automatic Singer, The Amber King, and GrimDark Narrator at risk of immediate financial and creative loss. Until the platform requires—or even acquires—verifiable proof that third parties are legitimately authorized to enforce rights on behalf of major IP holders like Games Workshop, creators will remain vulnerable, not just to copyright law itself, but to the mechanisms enforcing it.
