Skibidi Toilet DMCA Contested Amidst Uncertainty

Garry's Mod creator, Garry Newman, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice concerning unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the Garry's Mod platform. The notice, initially attributed to Invisible Narratives (the studio behind Skibidi Toilet's film and TV adaptations), has since seen its origin questioned. A Discord profile seemingly linked to the Skibidi Toilet creator denies sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.

The irony is palpable. The Skibidi Toilet YouTube series, known for its viral Gen Alpha meme status, originated using assets from Garry's Mod, a game itself built upon Valve's Half-Life 2 assets. While Garry Newman obtained Valve's permission for Garry's Mod's release, the DMCA claim alleges copyright infringement by users creating Skibidi Toilet-themed content within Garry's Mod. Invisible Narratives asserts ownership of characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet, citing DaFuq!?Boom!, the YouTube channel responsible for the original Skibidi Toilet series, as the source of the infringement. This claim is further complicated by the fact that DaFuq!?Boom! also utilizes Garry's Mod assets.

Newman publicly shared the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, expressing disbelief. DaFuq!?Boom! subsequently denied involvement in the takedown notice via the same Discord server, expressing confusion and seeking contact with Newman. The DMCA notice, filed "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," cites copyright registration in 2023 for "Titan Cameraman and 3 Other Unpublished Works," including the aforementioned characters.

This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first brush with copyright controversy. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTube channel, eventually reaching an undisclosed agreement. The situation surrounding the Garry's Mod DMCA remains unresolved, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the rapidly evolving landscape of online content creation and meme culture. The legitimacy of the DMCA and the true source remain uncertain.