Backrooms Director Kane Parsons Promises He’s 'Looking Into' A24 Copyright Strikes on Fan Art
· IGN
Kane Parsons has promised Backrooms fans that he’s investigating copyright strikes supposedly sent from A24 to content creators over artwork inspired by the creepypasta-turned-blockbuster.
On July 15, a Reddit user named ‘GnarlyNet’ posted on the official Backrooms subreddit with claims that A24 had issued a takedown notice targeting their artwork, a simple yellow wallpaper pattern inspired by the original image that started the liminal space craze.
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More specifically, the artwork was posted on Redbubble, which informed the user that the pattern had been removed due to a complaint from “A24 Films LLC.”
The poster said they’d argued with Redbubble that their work was inspired by the original viral image, not Parsons’ 2026 horror adaptation of the source material — but it remains in the ether despite their attempts at explaining the situation.
They weren’t the only one affected by unexpected copyright issues; another Reddit user shared a similar story on July 14, saying they were also issued a takedown notice on behalf of A24 for work posted on Redbubble that wasn’t wallpaper-focused at all. Instead, their works were pictures of two women in a familiar, fluorescent-lighted hallway and another of a Backrooms-inspired office space.
An indie developer claimed their Backrooms-inspired game had been struck down on the Google Play store, too, with the platform telling them it had violated their policies by impersonating 'The Backrooms' brand.
In the late hours of July 15, Parsons himself commented on GnarlyNet’s Reddit post with good news for those affected by the issue.
“I’m looking into this. Should not be happening,” he wrote.
Fans have speculated that A24 could be utilizing automated services to enact these takedown notices, which would explain the blanket nature of the strikes over anything that looks remotely Backrooms-related.
For now, fans are still waiting to see what comes of Parson’s involvement in the ordeal, but it’s left the community anxious in regards to upcoming film adaptations of other creepypastas like the SCP Foundation and Sirenhead, both of which are properties that have been transformed into innumerable indie games, short films, artwork, and more.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.