Garry's Mod DMCA Fuels Uncertain Legal Debate

A DMCA takedown notice, allegedly targeting "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod games," has been issued to Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod. The sender's identity remains uncertain, despite initial reports pointing to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet film and TV projects.

The DMCA Controversy

The July 30th notice claimed a lack of licensing for Skibidi Toilet content within Garry's Mod. However, Alexey Gerasimov, the creator of the popular DaFuq!?Boom! YouTube channel (which uses Garry's Mod assets to create Skibidi Toilet content), has since denied sending the DMCA. This denial was initially reported by Dexerto.

The irony is palpable: Skibidi Toilet itself originated from Garry's Mod assets. While Garry's Mod utilizes assets from Valve's Half-Life 2 (with Valve's approval), Invisible Narratives' claim to copyright on characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet is being challenged. Valve, as the owner of Half-Life 2 assets, arguably has a stronger claim than Invisible Narratives.

Newman shared the DMCA on the s&box Discord server, highlighting the unexpected nature of the claim. Invisible Narratives' notice identified DaFuq!?Boom! as the source of the allegedly infringing content, citing their 2023 copyright registration for these characters.

Following the public disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! also took to the s&box Discord to deny involvement, expressing confusion and a desire to clarify the situation with Newman.

The current understanding is that the DMCA was filed by an unknown party "on behalf of" Invisible Narratives. The legitimacy of the claim remains unverified, particularly given DaFuq!?Boom!'s past copyright disputes.

Previous Copyright Disputes

DaFuq!?Boom! has previously issued copyright strikes against other YouTubers, notably GameToons, resulting in a tense standoff before a resolution was reached. The details of that settlement remain undisclosed.

The situation surrounding the Skibidi Toilet DMCA against Garry's Mod highlights the complexities of copyright in the age of user-generated content and viral memes, leaving the question of the DMCA's validity unanswered.