CSGO skins removed by Valve after alleged copyright infringement
A selection of CSGO skins for the AWP rifle and other inventory items have been removed and replaced by Valve after claims that they were based on “stolen artwork.” The change follows recent CSGO updates which alter maps including Ember and Boyard, as the Steam FPS game also breaks its own record for concurrent players.
On February 9, as part of the Revolution Case, CSGO released a new skin for the AWP called ‘Doodle Lore.’ A colourful, snarling dragon, the sniper rifle skin was available for around $300 USD (£248 GBP).
“High risk and high reward, the infamous AWP is recognizable by its signature report and one-shot, one-kill policy,” the Doodle Lore skin’s description reads. “It has been custom painted with doodles of hearts, flowers, an MVP trophy, and a brightly-coloured dragon.”
On February 15, however, a post on the official Counter Strike blog noted that the Doodle Lore AWP and inventory skins had been removed, and replaced with another design called ‘Duality in the Revolution.’ As reported by Dot Esports, the removal comes after a Twitter user, ‘Danidem,’ claimed that the skin was based on the work of artist ‘Vexx_Art.’
Observing that other CSGO skins, including one for the M4 assault rifle, may be based on “stolen artwork,” Danidem says that Vexx_Art filed a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notice, to get the Doodle Lore skin removed.
“I’ve been contacted via PM and it seems the M4A4 ain’t the only one with stolen artwork,” Danidem writes. “The AWP by Jimmba [an alternate name for the Doodle Lore skin] is basically a dragon by the artist Vexx_Art. Apparently, they have already been contacted and they’re going to file a DMCA.”
Danidem shares an image of the Doodle Lore skin alongside the original
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