Formula 1 has reportedly asked F1 production teams to stop using its brand.

Creators with an online identity centered around Formula 1 racing have been switching handles recently, and they seem reluctant to say why. But it could be because they were asked to do so by F1 itself, which is rumored to have sent cease and desist orders to certain creators with monetization accounts that use its branding.

One of the more abrupt branding changes was that of the F1 fan podcast Paddock Project (formerly F1r the Girls). Paddock didn’t mention that she had received a cease and desist letter. Announce changeInstead, the new name, he wrote, “reflects where we have been and where we are going.”

F1 influencer Mikaela Kostaras, who recently changed her name from “shelovesf1” to “shelovesvrooms”, also appeared to hint that she would be subject to a cease and desist order. In the video We asked viewers to “imagine” being told they couldn’t give away the tickets they bought. Recently completed. She responded to a comment on the video, saying, “There’s a reason why everyone is rebranding rn, and it’s not just for fun.”

F1 commentator Tony Cowan-Brown Said in the video She said she had been hearing “rumors” of cease and desist letters for “at least the last six months”. She added that Formula 1 was targeting people “who are using F1 for branding and capitalising on it” and creators who pretend to be somehow connected to the organisation.

Formula 1 did not immediately respond. The Verge‘ This is a request for opinion.

Cowan-Brown contrasted the NBA’s approach, which doesn’t really attack people who post NBA content online, even if the content includes actual footage of games, league commissioner Adam Silver said. I said it once “Most of the highlights are marketing.”

Nonetheless, Formula 1 has been particularly proactive in protecting its branding in the past.A pile of legal letters”Stars demanding that driver Lewis Hamilton stop posting F1 clips on social media. Later, Liberty Media bought F1 and Relaxed guidelines Drivers and teams are banned from posting footage from the paddock.