While internet drama between influencers is nothing new, some situations escalate far beyond simple arguments, especially when lawsuits or law enforcement get involved. Unfortunately, this became a harsh reality for Twitch streamer Kaceytron, who is based in Missouri. Along with two other content creators, she recently became the target of a lawsuit filed by YouTuber Ethan Klein. He accused them of copyright infringement for using his exposé video titled Content Nuke: Hasan Piker. According to Klein, the streamers failed to meet the standards of fair use and instead used his content for profit without offering meaningful commentary or transformation.
The lawsuit names three Twitch streamers in total: Kaceytron, Denims, and Frogan. Klein argued that their streams did not add anything substantial to the original video. One reportedly walked away during the playback, another barely spoke, and Kaceytron allegedly smoked, coughed, and admitted multiple times that she didn’t understand what was happening. The Missouri streamer also made remarks implying that viewers wanted to watch the video without supporting Klein directly, which he took as a further sign of bad faith.
This isn’t Klein’s first time taking legal action over content use. He and his wife, Hila, previously won a high-profile lawsuit against Hosseinzadeh that helped define fair use standards for online creators. Now, he is bringing those same arguments to court again with this case.
Since the lawsuit was made public, Kaceytron has faced a massive wave of online harassment. Things escalated to such a degree that she tearfully admitted on stream, “It honestly feels like people are trying to get me to kill myself.” A short clip of this moment was shared by Reddit user Cher0keeRose, showing her crying while discussing the pressure and hate she has been receiving.
While there are many Ethan Klein fans harassing the Missouri-based streamer, there are also plenty of people who have come forward to defend Kaceytron. Many viewers found the actions of Klein’s supporters to be completely unacceptable, with some directly criticizing Klein himself for what they saw as bullying behavior.
Some accused him of targeting three smaller creators out of insecurity. One user pointed out the contradiction, writing, “I remember when he publicly shamed Keemstar for bullying a smaller creator into suicide… I’m sure he’s blind to the irony now.”
Others encouraged people with extra money to support the GoFundMe campaign created to help Kaceytron with legal expenses. However, not everyone who donated had good intentions. There were a few bad actors who contributed money just to leave hateful comments. One user even wrote, “The fall off is strong with this one. Here’s $5 for when it inevitably gets to Ethan.”
