GoKawiilMicrosoft's TracerAI drops DMCA claim against Luanti, app restored on Play Store
Microsoft, acting through TracerAI, has withdrawn its DMCA takedown notice that accused the open-source voxel game Luanti of infringing Minecraft's copyright. The Luanti app has been reinstated on Google Play immediately, without needing to wait out the standard counter-notice period, signaling Microsoft has abandoned the case entirely.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The reversal is notable because Microsoft's own research divisions, including Xbox's Project VEGA and a Microsoft Research/University of Edinburgh study, actively use Luanti as a testbed precisely because of its open-source flexibility and Lua scripting—making the takedown attempt appear especially contradictory. The episode underscores how automated or poorly vetted copyright enforcement can threaten small open-source projects even when the accusing company itself benefits from their existence.
- Microsoft/TracerAI rescinded its DMCA notice against Luanti, restoring the app to Google Play immediately.
- Microsoft Research and Xbox teams reportedly rely on Luanti for voxel-based AI research due to its open design.
- The Luanti team says this is the second such legal dispute and hopes to avoid a repeat in the future.
Programming in Lua" by Roberto Ierusalimschy — Luanti's expressive Lua API is exactly what makes it a favorite for modders and even Microsoft researchers, and this book is written by Lua's own lead designer. It's the go-to reference for getting comfortable with the language before you start scripting your own voxel worlds and mods.
See Programming in Lua" by Roberto Ierusalimschy on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: blog.luanti.org, 2026-09-09
Published there as: “Microsoft/TracerAI withdraws copyright takedown against Luanti”
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