1xBet and Sportradar have denied any role in a series of copyright complaints that sought to remove online reporting connected to the betting operator and the sports-data supplier from Google search results.
The dispute emerged after activist short-selling publication Activ8Insights said it received a notice from Google on 5 August informing it that one of its pages had been targeted by a copyright complaint. The publication subsequently examined records held through Google’s copyright system and the Lumen Database, uncovering what it described as a broader pattern of takedown requests.
According to Activ8Insights, at least 12 copyright notices were filed under the name Alex Gramm, targeting 84 URLs across around 68 domains. Ten of those notices appeared to relate to content involving 1xBet, including brand material, marketing references and journalism about the operator.
Both companies have rejected any suggestion that they commissioned or knew about the complaints.
Questions over identity behind takedowns
Activ8Insights said the earliest notice associated with the Alex Gramm name dates back to 2013, although that filing was unrelated to 1xBet. The pattern involving the betting company became apparent from October 2025.
One complaint from that period identified the filer as acting on behalf of 1xBet. However, the filing itself does not establish that 1xBet authorised the request, and the operator has denied having any connection to the individual named in the notices.
1xBet strategic adviser Simon Westbury said the company had neither participated in nor been aware of the copyright notice examined by Activ8Insights. Sportradar separately said it had not filed or commissioned the notice and had no relationship with anyone submitting complaints under the Alex Gramm name.
The investigation also identified an April 27 complaint seeking the removal of 18 URLs from 14 websites. The targeted material included reporting by Gaming Intelligence, Estadão, The Hindu, Play the Game and other gambling and sports publications.
Some of those articles covered short-seller reports published on April 22 by Callisto Research and Muddy Waters concerning Sportradar’s relationships with gambling operators. One takedown request was reportedly submitted in Muddy Waters’ name, although the firm told Activ8Insights that it had not initiated the complaint.
Activ8Insights has stressed that its investigation does not establish that either 1xBet or Sportradar ordered the filings.
Sportradar remains under scrutiny
The copyright controversy follows a wider dispute surrounding Sportradar after Callisto Research and Muddy Waters published reports alleging that the company generated substantial business from operators active in black or grey gambling markets.
Sportradar rejected those claims immediately, saying on April 22 that it worked only with licensed operators and followed global compliance and due-diligence requirements.
The company expanded on its position in an April 28 regulatory filing. Sportradar said its contracts require customers to maintain necessary licences and that it may work with companies licensed offshore, including in Curaçao or Anjouan, where those licences are accepted and the operator complies with applicable local laws. Its checks include licence verification, sanctions and politically exposed persons screening, ownership checks, geo-blocking and continued monitoring after customers go live.
The disagreement has also reached the US courts. Investor James Anthony Smale filed a proposed securities class action against Sportradar, chief executive Carsten Koerl and chief financial officer Craig Felenstein in the Southern District of New York on 18 May. The lawsuit alleges violations of US securities law; the allegations remain unresolved and have not been established by the court.
For now, the copyright records demonstrate that attempts were made to remove or reduce the visibility of reporting linked to 1xBet and Sportradar. They do not establish who ultimately commissioned the activity, leaving the identity and motivation of those behind the takedown campaign unresolved.