It was a question that arose the moment the game's online level-sharing feature was introduced: what would happen to LittleBigPlanet levels that infringed on popular intellectual property? The question never received a straight-forward answer, but now it seems that Sony has made that decision, as the forum community is in an uproar over the apparent silent removal of custom content.

Kotaku is reporting on the clamor that began with the popular LittleBigWorkshop forum and is quickly spreading across forum communities like NeoGAF and GameFAQs. Users are reporting that copyright-infringing levels, even those with no unsuitable content, are being silently deleted. "My level was moderated (read; deleted) and now I can't re-publish," wrote one frustrated gamer. "There was absolutely nothing offensive whatsoever in the level at all and I was given no explanation as to why they moderated it or why they won't even let me republish, even after making changes."

While original creations tend to be the most memorable in the long run, some of the "tribute" content we've seen has become the stand-out content for LittleBigPlanet. Whether it be in the form of an epic platforming level inspired by Indiana Jones, a shoot-em-up level paying homage to Gradius, or a Final Fantasy VI theme song recreated by a track of music objects, these custom levels are really what make LittleBigPlanet great.

Neither Sony nor Media Molecule has publicly commented about these actions, but the outcry is growing, and without some levels being deleted and others with questionable content still there, the lines seem to be rather blurry. Should the companies change the game's terms of service to explicitly state that copyright-infringing material will be dutifully moderated, the populated worlds of the LittleBigPlanet "cool levels" section will become barren in a hurry.