Skibidi Toilet DMCAs Garry's Mod But Legitimacy Remains Unclear

A DMCA takedown notice, allegedly targeting unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within Garry's Mod, has been issued to Garry Newman, the game's creator. The situation is shrouded in uncertainty, as the true source of the notice remains unclear.

The Alleged Skibidi Toilet DMCA

On July 30th, a copyright claim was reportedly filed, demanding the removal of Skibidi Toilet-related Garry's Mod creations. The sender asserted a lack of any official Skibidi Toilet licensing for Steam, Valve, or Garry's Mod content. Initial reports incorrectly attributed the notice to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet film and television projects. However, a Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has since denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.

Garry's Mod, a mod for Valve's Half-Life 2, allows users to create custom game modes. The Skibidi Toilet YouTube series, created by Alexey Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom!), utilizes assets from Garry's Mod, ported into Source Filmmaker (another Valve product). This series' viral success spawned merchandise and plans for a film and TV series by Invisible Narratives.

Challenges to the DMCA Claim

Newman revealed the DMCA claim on the s&box Discord server, expressing surprise at the action. The notice from Invisible Narratives claims copyright ownership over characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet. It cites DaFuq!?Boom! as the origin of these characters.

This claim is ironic, given Skibidi Toilet's origins within Garry's Mod. While Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Half-Life 2, Valve has approved its release as a standalone game. Valve, as the owner of Half-Life 2 assets, arguably holds a stronger claim against unauthorized use than Invisible Narratives.

Following Newman's public statement, DaFuq!?Boom! denied involvement on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and seeking contact with Newman. The DMCA notice was reportedly sent "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," claiming copyright on the characters in 2023.

The authenticity of DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial remains unverified. However, this isn't the first time the Skibidi Toilet creator has faced copyright scrutiny.

Previous Copyright Disputes

DaFuq!?Boom! previously issued copyright strikes against other YouTubers, including GameToons, leading to a brief conflict that was eventually resolved through an undisclosed agreement.

The legitimacy of the DMCA notice sent to Garry Newman remains uncertain, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the context of user-generated content and viral internet memes.