Skibidi Toilet DMCAs Garry's Mod But Legitimacy Remains Unclear

Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice concerning unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the game. The situation is rife with irony, as we'll soon see.

Skibidi Toilet's DMCA Notice: A Case of Mistaken Identity?

On July 30th, a copyright claim, allegedly targeting "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod games," was filed. The sender initially appeared linked to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind Skibidi Toilet's movie and TV projects. However, a Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has since denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto. The true source of the DMCA remains unconfirmed.

The notice claimed the absence of any licensed Skibidi Toilet content for Garry's Mod, Steam, or Valve. This is particularly noteworthy given the meme's origins.

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

Challenges to the DMCA Claim: A Web of Irony

Newman revealed the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, highlighting the irony of the situation. Invisible Narratives' notice asserted copyright ownership over characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source. The irony lies in the fact that DaFuq!?Boom! used Garry's Mod assets to create the Skibidi Toilet series.

While Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Half-Life 2, Valve approved its release as a standalone game in 2006. This gives Valve a stronger claim than Invisible Narratives regarding the unauthorized use of their assets by DaFuq!?Boom!.

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

While DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial remains unverified, this isn't their first brush with copyright issues.

Previous Copyright Disputes: A Pattern Emerges

Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! issued copyright strikes against other YouTubers, including GameToons, resulting in a tense standoff before a resolution was reached. The details of this resolution remain undisclosed. The current situation raises questions about the legitimacy of the DMCA notice and the potential for further complications.