Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice concerning unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the game. The origin of the notice is currently unclear, despite initial reports linking it to 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 Irony of the DMCA
This situation is particularly ironic, considering the Skibidi Toilet series itself utilizes assets from Garry's Mod. Alexey Gerasimov, the creator of the popular YouTube series "DaFuq!?Boom!", adapts Garry's Mod assets into Source Filmmaker animations. The series' viral success spawned merchandise and plans for a film and TV franchise by Invisible Narratives.
Newman publicly shared the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord server, expressing disbelief at the situation. The notice claims copyright ownership over characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the source.
The Copyright Dispute
While Garry's Mod uses assets from Valve's Half-Life 2 (with Valve's approval), the copyright claim raises questions about the legitimacy of Invisible Narratives' assertion. Valve, as the owner of Half-Life 2's assets, arguably holds a stronger claim against unauthorized use than Invisible Narratives.
Following the public disclosure, Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom!) denied involvement in sending the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and a desire to contact Newman. The notice itself names Invisible Narratives, LLC as the copyright holder, citing copyright registration in 2023 for the aforementioned characters.
Previous Copyright Disputes
This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first encounter with copyright issues. Last September, the channel issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a creator of similar content, eventually reaching a settlement.
The current situation surrounding the DMCA notice to Garry's Mod remains unresolved, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the digital age and the unexpected consequences of viral internet phenomena.
