ReVanced is a massively popular tool that allows users to add a range of new features and customizations for third-party Android apps including YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, and Spotify.

The project gained significant traction as the spiritual successor to YouTube Vanced, a similar project that was discontinued in 2022 after receiving a cease and desist letter from Google.

ReVanced has not been without controversy either. The project has been targeted by DMCA notices in the past, but its flagship patches have remained accessible for years, seemingly without pushback from the large tech companies. That’s no longer the case following pushback from Spotify.

Spotify Targets ReVanced

A few days ago, Spotify sent a takedown notice (pdf) to GitHub asking it to take down ReVanced’s “Unlock Premium” patch that it believes to be infringing.

“Spotify contends that the files identified […] are made via unauthorized copying of Spotify’s Copyrights and/or are unauthorized derivative works of Spotify’s Copyrights, and directly infringe Spotify’s Copyrights,” Spotify wrote.

The full takedown notice has not yet been published on GitHub, but the ReVanced team published a copy through its website. In addition to informing users about the enforcement action, the developers say they are seeking legal assistance to better understand their position.

ReVanced Disagrees but Complies

ReVanced disagrees with the claim that it copied Spotify’s code and stresses that all music tracks accessible through the patched app are also available on the free version of Spotify. The premium features ReVanced provides access to mostly affect convenience.

The developers believe the core question in this dispute appears to be whether ReVanced’s attestation bypass, which essentially bypasses Spotify’s tampering protection, is a violation of the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision.

Interestingly, based on our reading of the notice, that argument is not clearly made in the takedown request, where Spotify cites unauthorized copying and derivative works based on its copyrights.

Speaking with TorrentFreak this weekend, the ReVanced team said that while it believes that the notice might be invalid, it is a clear warning from Spotify that could spell further trouble. Therefore, they have complied with the request for now.

“If we counter notice, they could drag all this to court if they got actual reasons for the patch being illegal. So we comply, do legal counsel, and reinstate if possible,” Ohan from ReVanced said.

Legal Help & GitHub’s Position

ReVanced’s public request for assistance from legal experts hasn’t resulted in any signed defense deals, but the team says that it has managed to get some informal legal counsel.

The goal now is to get a clear picture of their rights and the potential risks involved. Ideally, the developers would like to reinstate the code and fight back, but that’s only an option if they can make a strong case that their patches are legal.

The ReVanced team plans to engage with GitHub on the matter once they have a clearer legal strategy. The company is known to protect developers from DMCA overreach, but its views are on this particular situation are unclear.

GitHub previously launched a $1 million developer defense fund , which was established to help projects fight unwarranted DMCA claims. Whether this case will be eligible for support is unknown, but the ReVanced team notes that this could be useful.

If ReVanced decides to fight back, it will likely issue a counter-notice to get the code restored. That will open the door to a lawsuit from Spotify, so the team will take the time to properly deliberate all options before taking that step.

While that process takes its course, ReVanced’s official Spotify patch will remain unavailable.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.