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 rife with irony, given the meme's origins within Garry's Mod itself.

The DMCA Claim

On July 30th, a copyright claim was filed, demanding the removal of Skibidi Toilet-related Garry's Mod games. The sender asserted the absence of any licensed Skibidi Toilet content on Steam, Valve, or within Garry's Mod. While initially attributed to Invisible Narratives (the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV franchises), the sender's identity remains unconfirmed. A Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has denied issuing the notice, as reported by Dexerto.

Garry's Mod and Skibidi Toilet's Intertwined History

Garry's Mod, a mod for Valve's Half-Life 2, allows users to create custom game modes. Alexey Gerasimov's YouTube channel, DaFuq!?Boom!, uses assets from Garry's Mod in Source Filmmaker (another Valve product) to produce the popular Skibidi Toilet series, which has become a significant Gen Alpha meme, spawning merchandise and plans for a film and TV series by Invisible Narratives.

Contradictions and Irony

The DMCA claim is particularly ironic considering Skibidi Toilet's origins within Garry's Mod. While Garry's Mod utilizes assets from Half-Life 2 (with Valve's approval, leading to its 2006 standalone release), the copyright infringement claim against Garry's Mod raises questions. Valve, as the owner of Half-Life 2 assets, arguably holds a stronger claim against unauthorized use than Invisible Narratives.

Newman revealed the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. Invisible Narratives' notice claims copyright ownership of characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source.

DaFuq!?Boom! subsequently denied involvement in the DMCA on the s&box Discord, adding to the confusion. The notice was reportedly sent "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," claiming copyright on these characters, registered in 2023.

Previous Copyright Disputes

This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first copyright controversy. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTube channel, before eventually reaching an undisclosed agreement.

The legitimacy of the DMCA against Garry's Mod remains uncertain, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the digital age, particularly concerning user-generated content and the evolution of internet memes.