Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice concerning unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the Garry's Mod community. The situation is shrouded in confusion, as the source and legitimacy of the notice are currently unclear.
A DMCA Takedown Notice for Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod Content
On July 30th, a copyright claim, originating from an unidentified source, targeted what the sender deemed "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod games." The notice insisted that no official Skibidi Toilet content exists within the Steam, Valve, or Garry's Mod ecosystems.
Early reports incorrectly attributed the notice to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV projects. However, the Skibidi Toilet creator, via a Discord profile, has since denied sending the DMCA, 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 ported from Garry's Mod into Source Filmmaker (another Valve product). This series unexpectedly became a viral Gen Alpha meme, leading to merchandise and planned film/TV adaptations by Invisible Narratives (Michael Bay and Adam Goodman's studio).
Challenges to the Skibidi Toilet DMCA
Newman revealed the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, expressing disbelief at the situation. The notice from Invisible Narratives claimed copyright ownership of characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source.
The irony is palpable, considering Skibidi Toilet's origins within Garry's Mod. While Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Half-Life 2, Valve (the owner of Half-Life 2) approved its release as a standalone title in 2006. Therefore, Valve arguably has a stronger claim than Invisible Narratives concerning the unauthorized use of their assets by DaFuq!?Boom!.
Following Newman's public statement, DaFuq!?Boom! denied involvement on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and a desire to contact Newman. The DMCA notice was reportedly sent "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," claiming copyright on the characters in 2023.
The situation remains unresolved. While DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial hasn't been independently verified, it's not the first time the Skibidi Toilet creator has faced copyright scrutiny.
Previous Copyright Disputes Involving Skibidi Toilet
Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! issued copyright strikes against other YouTubers, including GameToons. Although GameToons initially attempted negotiation, DaFuq!?Boom! escalated the situation, leading to a potential channel deletion. Eventually, an agreement was reached, though the details remain undisclosed. The entire situation highlights the complexities and controversies surrounding copyright in the digital age.
