Discover the intricacies of a copyright dispute involving Garry’s Mod and the viral sensation, Skibidi Toilet. This article delves into the DMCA notice sent to Garry Newman, the creator of Garry’s Mod, and the ensuing controversy surrounding its legitimacy.

Skibidi Toilet Files DMCA Against Garry’s Mod

Skibidi Toilet’s Takedown Notice

On July 30, Garry Newman, the mastermind behind Garry’s Mod, received a puzzling DMCA notice demanding the removal of "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry’s Mod games." The sender boldly claimed that "there is absolutely no licensed Steam, Valve, Garry’s Mod content related to Skibidi Toilet." Initially, it was speculated that Invisible Narratives, the studio behind Skibidi Toilet’s movie and TV ventures, had sent the notice. However, a Discord profile purporting to be the Skibidi Toilet creator clarified that they were not responsible for the DMCA, as reported by Dexerto.

Garry’s Mod, a popular mod for Valve’s Half-Life 2, allows players to craft and engage in custom game modes. Meanwhile, the YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!, run by Alexey Gerasimov, leverages Garry’s Mod assets within Source Filmmaker to produce the viral Skibidi Toilet series. This series has not only captured the attention of Gen Alpha but also inspired merchandise and media projects by Invisible Narratives, led by Michael Bay and Adam Goodman.

Counters to Skibidi Toilet's DMCA Claim

Garry Newman first aired his grievances about the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, humorously likening it to the infamous Nintendo DMCA. He shared a screenshot of the claim, emphasizing the irony given that Skibidi Toilet was crafted using Garry’s Mod assets.

Invisible Narratives’ notice asserts that characters such as "Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet" are their registered copyrights, citing DaFuqBoom’s YouTube channel as the original source of these characters. The claim is particularly ironic considering Skibidi Toilet’s reliance on Garry’s Mod assets.

While Garry’s Mod also uses assets from Half-Life 2, Valve has endorsed Newman’s creation since its standalone release in 2006. Valve's ownership of Half-Life 2 assets arguably gives them a stronger claim over unauthorized uses than Invisible Narratives.

Following Newman’s public outcry on Discord, DaFuq!?Boom! quickly denied any involvement in the DMCA strike against Garry’s Mod. "Is there a way to contact Garry? I did NOT strike Garry’s Mod and I’m trying to understand what else is written in the letter!" they posted on the s&box Discord.

The DMCA notice, purportedly from an unknown source on behalf of Invisible Narratives, LLC, references copyrights registered in 2023 for "Titan Cameraman and 3 Other Unpublished Works," which include the aforementioned characters.

While DaFuq!?Boom!’s denial remains unconfirmed, this isn’t their first brush with copyright controversy.

Skibidi Toilet Copyright Strikes Other YouTubers

Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! intensified their copyright enforcement by targeting channels like GameToons, which produces content akin to their own. After initial attempts at a peaceful resolution failed, DaFuq!?Boom! issued two more strikes against GameToons, risking the deletion of their channel.

A week later, an agreement was reached between GameToons and DaFuq!?Boom!, resolving the issue through YouTube’s mediation. The details of their settlement remain private, but the incident sparked debate over the ethics of copyright claims within the YouTube community.