A series of Google copyright complaints targeting online reports about 1xBet and Sportradar has raised questions over who is behind the filings. Both companies have denied any involvement. Meanwhile, an investigation by Active8Insights has traced multiple notices to a sender using the name Alex Gramm.
Investigation Identifies Pattern of Complaints
Active8Insights, which covers activist short selling, investigated the takedown requests after receiving a Google notification on 5 August. It stated that one of its links had been removed from search results following a copyright complaint.
Using Google’s notice system and the Lumen Database, the publication identified at least 12 takedown notices covering 84 URLs across approximately 68 domains. According to its reconstruction, 10 notices appeared to target content involving 1xBet. This included journalism, branding, and marketing material.
Some complaints reportedly targeted major gambling and sports publications, as well as media outlets in markets including Brazil and India. The 1xBet-related pattern appears to have emerged from October 2025 onward.
1xBet and Sportradar Deny Involvement
1xBet has rejected any connection to the takedown activity, while Sportradar said it neither filed nor commissioned the notices. Sportradar also denied having any relationship with anyone using the name Alex Gramm.
Active8Insights stressed that its findings do not establish that either company authorised or knew about the complaints. Instead, the available records document what was submitted and which URLs were targeted.
Dispute Adds to Wider Sportradar Controversy
The takedown investigation comes amid separate allegations from short sellers Callisto Research and Muddy Waters concerning Sportradar’s relationships with unregulated gambling operators. Sportradar has strongly rejected those claims. It said its compliance framework includes licence verification, ownership checks, sanctions screening and ongoing audits.
The broader dispute has also moved into US litigation, with investors filing a proposed securities class action against Sportradar and its executives. However, the allegations remain unproven in court.
For now, the identity and motives behind the takedown campaign remain unclear. The documented filing trail raises questions, but it does not establish who commissioned the complaints. In addition, it does not show whether either 1xBet or Sportradar was involved.
