A DMCA takedown notice, allegedly targeting "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod games," was reportedly sent to Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod. The sender's identity remains unclear, despite initial reports implicating Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet film and TV projects. A Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has since denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.
The DMCA Claim and its Irony
The notice asserts that characters like "Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet" are copyrighted and exclusive to Invisible Narratives. It points to the YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!, run by Alexey Gerasimov, as the source of these characters. This is ironic, considering the Skibidi Toilet series itself utilizes assets from Garry's Mod, a game that allows user-created content.
Garry Newman, sharing the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord server, expressed his disbelief. He highlighted the irony given the meme's origins within Garry's Mod.
Invisible Narratives' claim is further complicated by the fact that Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Valve's Half-Life 2, yet Valve has authorized its release as a standalone title. This suggests Valve might have a stronger legal standing regarding the unauthorized use of their assets by DaFuq!?Boom! than Invisible Narratives.
DaFuq!?Boom!'s Denial and Previous Copyright Disputes
Following the public disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! denied involvement in the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and seeking contact with Garry Newman. The notice itself lists "Invisible Narratives, LLC" as the copyright holder, claiming copyright on the aforementioned characters, registered in 2023.
This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first copyright controversy. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, another YouTube channel creating similar content, eventually reaching a settlement.
The situation surrounding the DMCA notice to Garry's Mod remains unresolved, raising questions about the legitimacy of the claim and the complexities of copyright in the context of user-generated content and viral memes.
