Copyright Trolling Kept Cult Classic Cookie’s Bustle Offline

The Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) has successfully secured the digital freedom of the Japanese cult classic Cookie’s Bustle, ending a prolonged period where the game was suppressed by fraudulent copyright takedown notices.

The Battle Against Unfounded Takedowns

For years, Cookie’s Bustle remained inaccessible due to aggressive enforcement actions initiated by Ukie, an organization acting on behalf of a company identified as Graceware. These takedown notices effectively scrubbed the game from public view, citing intellectual property claims that the VGHF later proved to be legally baseless.

Legal Intervention and Resolution

The VGHF legal team took direct action by challenging the validity of the notices sent to platforms hosting the game. By contacting Ukie and demanding evidence of ownership, the Foundation forced a re-evaluation of the claims.

According to VGHF representative Salvador, the resolution came after Graceware failed to substantiate their intellectual property rights. “We’re not sure exactly what transpired between Ukie and Graceware,” Salvador noted, “but it sounds like Graceware was unable to provide sufficient proof of their ownership. We hoped this would persuade Ukie to take action—and it did.”

This intervention marks a significant victory for digital preservationists, highlighting the ongoing struggle to protect historical software from “copyright trolling” and improper DMCA-style enforcement that often targets obscure or abandoned titles.