Skibidi Toilet DMCAs Garry's Mod But Legitimacy Remains Unclear

Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice targeting unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the game. The situation is shrouded in uncertainty, with the true sender remaining unidentified.

The DMCA Notice and its Initial Attribution:

The notice, received on July 30th, demanded the removal of Skibidi Toilet-related Garry's Mod creations, citing a lack of licensing. Initially, Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV franchises, was implicated. However, this has been denied by a Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator, Alexey Gerasimov of the YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!. Dexerto was the first to report this denial.

The Ironic Twist:

The irony is palpable. DaFuq!?Boom! uses Garry's Mod assets to create the Skibidi Toilet series, which has exploded in popularity, spawning merchandise and film adaptations. The DMCA claim, therefore, targets content derived from a game whose own assets were used to create the very source material of the alleged infringement.

Counterarguments and the Role of Valve:

Garry Newman, sharing the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, highlighted the absurdity of the situation. Invisible Narratives' notice claims copyright over characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet. They point to DaFuq!?Boom! as the origin.

However, Garry's Mod itself utilizes assets from Valve's Half-Life 2, yet Valve, having published Garry's Mod as a standalone title, has implicitly condoned its existence. This raises questions about the legal standing of Invisible Narratives' claim, particularly given Valve's stronger claim over the original assets.

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

Previous Copyright Disputes:

This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first brush with copyright issues. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTube channel, eventually reaching a settlement after escalating tensions.

The current situation remains unresolved, with the true source of the DMCA against Garry's Mod still uncertain. The entire affair underscores the complexities of copyright in the age of user-generated content and viral memes.