Riot Games got copyrighted by their own song
The 2024 League of Legends World Championship is underway, and the excitement of the play-in stage has captivated fans worldwide. However, amidst the intense competition and thrilling matches, an unexpected controversy has surfaced, surprising the League of Legends community. Riot Games, the event organizer, has found itself entangled in a copyright dispute regarding this year’s theme song.
The official theme song for Worlds 2024, titled Heavy Is The Crown, was created by the popular band Linkin Park. As is tradition, Riot Games typically releases a music video or a short promotional video to accompany the event’s theme song.
However, this year’s release has drawn significant criticism from fans. Many in the community feel that both the music video and the song fall short of expectations. Unlike the iconic and memorable theme songs from previous years, Heavy Is The Crown has failed to leave a strong impression.
The situation took an even more unexpected turn during the broadcast of the play-in matches. Riot Games played the theme song twice during the live stream, only to be promptly hit with a copyright warning from YouTube. This caught many by surprise, considering that the song was specifically composed by Linkin Park for Worlds 2024.
The community quickly reacted to the incident, with many players and fans finding the situation both baffling and amusing. The idea that a company as large as Riot Games, known for hosting one of the most prestigious esports events in the world, would overlook something as fundamental as music copyright was viewed as a serious misstep.
On forums and social media, fans ridiculed the situation. One common joke was that Riot had gone to great lengths to collaborate with Linkin Park for the theme song, only to be blocked from using it during their own event.
Speculation has since emerged as to why this issue occurred. Many believe that Heavy Is The Crown may have been privately copyrighted by Linkin Park, and Riot Games may not have fully completed the necessary licensing agreements to use the song during broadcasts.
YouTube, known for its strict copyright enforcement policies, likely detected the usage of the song during the stream and flagged it, resulting in the warning to Riot. This theory suggests that Riot may have overlooked or delayed securing the appropriate permissions in time for the live event.
While this incident may seem like a minor administrative error, it does raise important questions about Riot’s organizational practices. The company has been organizing global esports tournaments for years, and this mistake highlights the need for greater attention to detail, especially concerning intellectual property and copyright protections.
In the end, while the drama surrounding the theme song may not overshadow the tournament itself, it has certainly served as a reminder that even large corporations can stumble when it comes to basic legal matters.