Skibidi Toilet DMCAs Garry's Mod But Legitimacy Remains Unclear

A curious DMCA takedown notice has been issued, targeting Garry's Mod, the popular Half-Life 2 modification, for allegedly unauthorized use of Skibidi Toilet assets. The situation is rife with irony, as the Skibidi Toilet series itself originated using Garry's Mod assets. Let's delve into the details of this unexpected copyright dispute.

The DMCA Controversy

On July 30th, Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, received a DMCA notice demanding the removal of user-created content featuring Skibidi Toilet characters. The notice claimed a lack of licensing for any Skibidi Toilet-related content within the Garry's Mod platform.

Initially, suspicion fell upon Invisible Narratives, the studio behind Skibidi Toilet's planned movie and TV adaptations. However, Alexey Gerasimov, the creator of the DaFuq!?Boom! YouTube channel (the original source of the Skibidi Toilet animation series), has since denied sending the notice via a Discord post, as reported by Dexerto. This leaves the true origin of the DMCA claim shrouded in mystery.

The Irony of the Situation

The Skibidi Toilet phenomenon exploded from assets within Garry's Mod, a platform that itself utilizes assets from Valve's Half-Life 2. While Garry's Mod's creation did involve using pre-existing assets, Valve granted Newman permission to release it as a standalone title in 2006. This presents a significant irony: the Skibidi Toilet creators, who built their content using Garry's Mod assets, are now issuing a DMCA notice against the platform itself. Valve, as the original copyright holder of Half-Life 2, arguably holds a stronger legal position regarding the unauthorized use of their assets by DaFuq!?Boom!.

The Fallout and Further Claims

Newman shared the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord server, expressing his disbelief. The notice from "copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC" specifically claims copyright on characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, registered in 2023.

DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial of involvement adds another layer of complexity. This isn't the first time Gerasimov has faced copyright scrutiny. Last September, he issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTube channel, ultimately reaching an undisclosed settlement.

The Future of the Dispute

The true source of the DMCA remains unknown, leaving the situation unresolved. The accusations against Garry's Mod, considering the meme's origins, are particularly perplexing. The outcome of this dispute will likely set a precedent for the use of assets within modding communities and the complexities of copyright claims in the rapidly evolving world of online content creation.