We’ve told the story of Bancamp.de, and how it was built in the wake of music platform Bandcamp banning AI-generated songs. Well now, it seems Kai Hannover’s AI music platform has got the attention of its muse.
Songtradr, the parent company of Bandcamp, sent an official cease-and-desist to Bancamp.de on Sept. 1, accusing the German AI-music hosting site of trademark infringement, passing off, and free-riding on Bandcamp's goodwill over a name differing by a single letter. The letter cited five active BANDCAMP trademark registrations and gave operator Hannover until Sept. 10 to disable the site, scrub the name, and confirm compliance in writing, or face injunctive relief and damages claims.
Hannover's response is to retire the old name and domain, but keep building. He announced on Sept. 2 the site is relaunching as SCHALLKRAFT, framing the move as "resistance" continuing under a new identity rather than a retreat, and says the pivot will fund a push into AI music community features and federated artist-discovery tools with partners.
The dispute sharpens an existing irony: Bandcamp banned AI-generated music outright back in January, so a near-namesake built specifically around AI music was always a two-front problem — brand confusion plus the exact content category Bandcamp has publicly rejected.