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, raising questions about the true source and validity of the claim.
The Mysterious DMCA
On July 30th, Newman reportedly received a copyright claim demanding the removal of Skibidi Toilet-related Garry’s Mod games. The notice asserted a lack of licensing for any Skibidi Toilet content within the Garry’s Mod ecosystem. While initial reports implicated Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV franchises, the alleged sender, a Discord user seemingly associated with the Skibidi Toilet creator, has denied involvement, 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 Garry’s Mod assets, ported into Source Filmmaker (another Valve product). This series unexpectedly propelled Skibidi Toilet into meme status, spawning merchandise and plans for a film and TV adaptation by Invisible Narratives.
Challenges to the DMCA Claim
Newman publicly shared the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord, highlighting the irony. Invisible Narratives, in the notice, claimed copyright over characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the origin. The irony lies in the fact that DaFuq!?Boom! originally used Garry’s Mod assets to create the Skibidi Toilet content.
The situation highlights a complex copyright issue. While Garry’s Mod itself utilizes assets from Half-Life 2, Valve, the owner of Half-Life 2, has approved its standalone release. This gives Valve a stronger claim regarding the unauthorized use of their assets by DaFuq!?Boom! compared to Invisible Narratives' claim.
Following Newman's public disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! also took to the s&box Discord, denying any involvement in the DMCA notice. The notice itself is attributed to an unknown source acting "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," with the assets claimed copyrighted in 2023 under "Titan Cameraman and 3 Other Unpublished Works."
The authenticity of DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial remains unverified. However, this isn't the first copyright controversy for the Skibidi Toilet creator.
Previous Copyright Disputes
Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! issued copyright strikes against other YouTube channels, including GameToons, eventually reaching an undisclosed settlement. This history adds another layer of complexity to the current situation.
The origin and validity of the DMCA notice to Garry Newman remain unresolved, highlighting the ongoing challenges of copyright in the digital age, particularly with content created using existing assets and rapidly spreading online memes.
