A DMCA takedown notice, allegedly from a source connected to the Skibidi Toilet franchise, has been issued against Garry's Mod creator Garry Newman. The situation is rife with irony, given the meme's origins.
The Skibidi Toilet DMCA
On July 30th, Newman reportedly received a copyright claim demanding the removal of unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content from Garry's Mod. The sender claimed no official Skibidi Toilet content exists on Steam or within the Garry's Mod ecosystem.
Initial reports incorrectly linked the notice to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind Skibidi Toilet's planned movie and TV adaptations. However, a Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.
Garry's Mod, a Half-Life 2 modification, allows users to create custom game modes. The Skibidi Toilet YouTube series, created by Alexey Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom!), utilizes assets from Garry's Mod and Source Filmmaker. This series propelled Skibidi Toilet to memetic status, leading to merchandise and planned film/TV projects.
Challenging the DMCA
Newman publicly shared the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord server, highlighting the unexpected nature of the claim. Invisible Narratives' notice asserts copyright ownership of characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet. They cite DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source of these characters.
The irony is undeniable: Skibidi Toilet itself was built using Garry's Mod assets. While Garry's Mod also uses assets from Half-Life 2 (owned by Valve), Valve approved its standalone release in 2006. Valve, as the original owner, holds a stronger claim regarding the unauthorized use of their assets in the DaFuq!?Boom! videos than Invisible Narratives.
Following Newman's disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! denied involvement in the DMCA strike on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and seeking contact with Newman. The DMCA notice was sent by an unknown party "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," referencing copyrights registered in 2023 for the aforementioned characters.
DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial remains unconfirmed, but isn't their first brush with copyright disputes.
Previous Copyright Disputes
Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! issued copyright strikes against other YouTubers, including GameToons, leading to a temporary conflict before an undisclosed agreement was reached.
The situation surrounding the Skibidi Toilet DMCA against Garry's Mod remains unclear, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the digital age and the potential for unintended consequences when memes become major franchises.
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