Spotify Takes Down Pirate App EeveeSpotify—But Clones Exist

Photo Credit: Ashley Levinson

After a takedown notice from Spotify, a popular pirate app has been removed. But almost immediately, the project was relaunched with a legal twist.

One thing has held true about piracy since the dawn of the internet: platforms and websites enabling piracy are like the mythical Hydra—chop off one head, and two more take its place. That’s truer than ever in the age of streaming, and as a pioneer in the field, Spotify has learned that the hard way.

EeveeSpotify, an app that allowed users to access premium Spotify features without a subscription, was recently hit with a takedown notice by the Stockholm streaming service. As a result, the entire repository was removed from GitHub.

“The files identified […] were derived from unauthorized copies of the Spotify copyrights and/or the files […] are derivative works based on the Spotify copyrights,” wrote Spotify in the takedown request, listing the entire EeveeSpotify repository as infringing.

Notably, the takedown notice specifically mentioned derivative works based on Spotify copyrights. This is an accurate description of the EeveeSpotify code that was hosted on GitHub; it was pre-compiled and included original copyrighted code from the Spotify application.

But EeveeSpotify’s developer carefully took note of the DMCA notice and posted a new repository on GitHub shortly afterward. This one, called EeveeSpotifyReborn, offers the same functionality as the first, but with a key legal difference: it does not contain any of the packages that included Spotify’s copyrighted code.

“The original EeveeSpotify repository was disabled due to a DMCA takedown,” the developer wrote. “This repository will not contain the IPA packages, as they are most likely the reason for the takedown.”

Some users will find the new version harder to install, which will deter the most casual pirates. But most dedicated pirates will be right back to utilizing Spotify’s premium features without a subscription. So what happens next?

Undoubtedly, Spotify will argue that the latest repository violates the anti-circumvention provision of the DMCA, enabling further infringing by users who install it. This version is essentially a tweak to Spotify’s existing app and not a separate app in itself. GitHub, where the repository is hosted, will probably receive another takedown request.

It’s ironic when Spotify, the success of which allegedly relied on MP3s from pirate websites, now battles pirates distributing its modified code. Where this back-and-forth will end up remains to be seen, but rarely are pirates deterred altogether. Other versions of EeveeSpotify, or other repositories inspired by the original, will certainly rear their heads.