In 2021, an unknown person assuming the name Brandon White claimed to purchase the UK rights to Cookie's Bustle under the fake company name of "Graceware", filing a trademark claim in the United States the following year (the trademark has never been utilized and thus remains pending). White then began filing DMCA takedowns through the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (a.k.a. Ukie), targeting any website or video with documentation of the game (even as little as a passing mention), believed to be an act of copyright trolling. In some cases, White fraudulently used Nintendo's name to file claims. This led to an uptick in interest in the game, with many content creators streaming, making fan works based on, and reviewing the game in retaliation.

In 2026, the Video Game History Foundation announced that they had convinced Ukie to stop processing Graceware's takedown requests against Cookie's Bustle content. The association's decision came after a legal investigation by the foundation which indicated that the evidence used to back up White's claims were nonenforceable and that his takedowns relied on exploiting statutory loopholes and inexpensive enforcement services. In their announcement, the foundation explained that Cookie's Bustle is most likely an orphan work due to the lack of firm documentation regarding the true rightsholders, and as such, no further legal action can be taken until they are located. The foundation also stated that Ukie voiced plans to make it easier to file counterclaims against future spurious takedowns.