Backrooms Director Kane Parsons Promises He’s ‘Looking Into’ A24 Copyright Strikes on Fan Art
Kane Parsons, director of the Backrooms film adaptation, has announced he is investigating copyright strikes allegedly issued by A24 against fan creators. On July 15, a Reddit user reported that A24 Films LLC sent a takedown notice through Redbubble targeting their fan artwork—a yellow wallpaper pattern inspired by the original viral image that sparked the liminal space internet phenomenon.
The fan creator argued that their work drew inspiration from the original creepypasta source material, not Parsons’ 2026 horror film adaptation. Despite disputing the claim with Redbubble, the artwork was ultimately removed from the platform following the copyright complaint from A24.
Parsons’ public commitment to investigating the matter indicates growing tensions between the Backrooms film production and the fan art community. The incident highlights ongoing complications at the intersection of internet culture and mainstream media adaptation, where original viral content can become legally entangled with studio-produced interpretations. As nostalgic internet phenomena are increasingly adapted into theatrical releases and major studio projects, friction with fan communities that originally cultivated these properties has become more common. The case raises broader questions about fair use and intellectual property boundaries when original viral content is adapted into commercial films.