Summary
Hi everyone,
I’m posting this publicly because I have exhausted the normal Epic Player Support and appeal channels and I still cannot get an answer to one very simple question:
What are the separate Rule 1.7 violations that supposedly make me a “Repeat Offender”?
My creator account is Chronexa.
On August 27, 2026, I submitted an update to an already-published island. As part of that release, I used Epic’s official Thumbnail A/B Testing feature and uploaded two thumbnail variants containing Sonic-related imagery.
The submission failed moderation under Rule 1.7 – Respect IP Ownership.
I accepted the moderation decision, immediately removed the Sonic imagery, and submitted a corrected version.
The timeline after that was:
August 27: Sonic update rejected.
August 27: Corrected release approved later the same day.
August 29: Another release approved.
August 31: Another release approved and published.
September 1: Entire publishing and monetization access suspended for 14 days for supposedly “repeated violations” of Rule 1.7.
I reviewed my email history and Creator Portal records. I cannot find another Rule 1.7 enforcement notice besides the August 27 incident.
Epic later told me that:
“Islands submitted to publication by your account utilized ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ as parts of their thumbnail or other promotional elements.”
They also referenced an old sanction from October 2025, but that sanction was under Rule 1.13.3 – Keep It Authentic, not Rule 1.7.
So I repeatedly asked Epic a very specific question:
Were Thumbnail A and Thumbnail B from the SAME August 27 A/B test counted as two separate Rule 1.7 violations?
If so, how can two thumbnails uploaded simultaneously as part of one release, before receiving any warning, constitute “repeated” conduct?
If not, then what are the other Rule 1.7 violations?
Epic will not answer.
Instead, after I specifically asked them to identify the individual infractions, Player Support responded by telling me to read the general description of Rule 1.7 again.
I am not asking what Rule 1.7 means.
I am asking which separate incidents make this a Repeat Offender case.
There is another reason this is frustrating. Fortnite currently contains publicly accessible islands using extremely recognizable third-party IP in their titles and promotional material, including Sonic the Hedgehog, GTA VI, Spider-Man, Shadow, etc.
I am NOT claiming that those creators necessarily lack licenses. I obviously cannot know their licensing arrangements.
But it makes the enforcement inconsistency very difficult to understand when my Sonic thumbnails never passed moderation, never became the live promotional media, were immediately removed, and compliant versions were subsequently approved — yet several days later my entire creator account was suspended.
I have screenshots documenting the entire moderation timeline, Epic’s “numerous violations” notice, the support responses, and examples of currently published islands.
I am not asking Epic to ignore Rule 1.7.
I am asking Epic to explain the factual basis for calling this “repeated violations.”
If any Epic staff member or Creator Enforcement representative sees this, please have someone actually review the underlying infractions and answer the question:
How many separate Rule 1.7 violations are recorded against Chronexa, and what are they?
Because after several support conversations and an appeal, I still have not been given that information.
Please select what you are reporting on:
Unreal Editor for Fortnite
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
Other
Steps to Reproduce
.
Expected Result
Unsuspension
Observed Result
.
Platform(s)
All
