this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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Dev says "false DMCA" from Microsoft got their sandbox game removed from Steam over apparent Minecraft copyright, all because of a screenshot of birch trees (www.gamesradar.com)
submitted 1 week ago by flamingos@feddit.uk to c/games@sh.itjust.works
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Unomelon, the developer of Minecraft-inspired sandbox game Allumeria, says a DMCA from Microsoft, evidently related to Minecraft, got the game removed from Steam.

"The Allumeria Steam page is currently down because Microsoft has filed a false DMCA claim on it," Unomelon said on Bluesky on Tuesday. "They sent an email earlier today claiming that this screenshot infringes on their copyright. I am taking a moment to figure out what my path is going forward, will update soon."

The screenshot in question (above) is a simple wide shot of a forest filled with birch trees, what look to be oak trees with green and autumnal leaves, and a few pumpkins and weeds checkering the grassy dirt. There are definitely some similarities to Minecraft; if you told me this was a screenshot of a Minecraft mod, I'd probably believe you, but that's true of many voxel-based games, including Hytale.

Direct link to the Bluesky post (Skylib)

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[โ€“] Goodeye8@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I do agree with that, but if you also agree with that then I have no idea why you commented in the first place. You should understand where the other person was coming from because the art style, while similar, is not the same as Minecraft. And since that person was talking about specifically in the context of a DMCA claim he is right that there is literally nothing in that claim that has any grounds (which is why MS withdrew it pretty fast) because if you get into the details nothing shown looks exactly like Minecraft. It looks similar to Minecraft but is still distinct from it.

Even in that image that looks exactly like Minecraft if you get into the details:

  • The birch texture is actually different
  • The birch model is actually thinner than the Minecraft equivalent
  • The pumpkin texture is so different you can clearly see the difference in the image
  • The pumpkin model is actually smaller than the Minecraft equivalent
  • The "grass" length is different, Minecraft is 1-4 pixels with very jagged jumps while Allumeria is 2-5 pixels with a very consistent 3 pixel length.
  • The oak texture is different, the oak model is different
  • There's red leaves which I don't believe Minecraft has
  • The leaf texture is completely different
  • The clouds are different (multiple colors and flat compared to a single color and the latest version of Minecraft are not flat)
  • And of course then there are the things that are not in Minecraft but that's beyond what is relevant for DMCA

It's simply a coincidence that the singular image in broad strokes ends up looking like Minecraft. If you understand that I really do not understand why you commented in the first place. Just to make an argument that at a glance that single image looks like Minecraft?

[โ€“] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Just to make an argument that at a glance that single image looks like Minecraft?

Yup, that's the reason. OP had said that the textures weren't even similar iirc. Arguing against that doesn't mean I was arguing against their overall conclusion about the DMCA being invalid. Probably should have phrased it less confrontationally.