Skibidi Toilet Files DMCA Against Garry’s Mod
Skibidi Toilet’s Takedown Notice
On July 30, Garry Newman, the creator of Garry’s Mod, received a copyright claim from an unknown source demanding the removal of "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry’s Mod games." The sender claimed that "there is absolutely no licensed Steam, Valve, Garry’s Mod content related to Skibidi Toilet." Initially, reports suggested that Invisible Narratives, the studio behind Skibidi Toilet’s movie and TV franchises, sent the notice. However, a Discord profile believed to be the Skibidi Toilet creator later denied sending the DMCA notice, as reported by Dexerto.
Garry’s Mod, developed by Newman for Valve's Half-Life 2, enables players to create and join custom game modes. Alexey Gerasimov, who runs the YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!, uses assets from Garry’s Mod in Source Filmmaker, a tool by Valve, to create the popular Skibidi Toilet series. This series has become a significant Gen Alpha meme, leading to merchandise and media projects by Invisible Narratives, headed by Michael Bay and Adam Goodman.
Counters to Skibidi Toilet's DMCA Claim
Garry Newman first disclosed the DMCA claim on the s&box Discord server, expressing his disbelief at the situation. "You know what’s worse than the Nintendo DMCA?" Newman posted. "Skibidi Toilet guys sent a DMCA too… Can you believe the cheek?" He shared a screenshot of the claim on the server.
Invisible Narratives' notice claims copyright over characters like "Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet," attributing their origins to the DaFuqBoom YouTube channel. The irony lies in the fact that Skibidi Toilet itself was created using Garry’s Mod assets.
While Garry’s Mod also uses assets from Half-Life 2, Valve has sanctioned its use, having published it as a standalone game in 2006. Valve, as the original owner of Half-Life 2, holds a stronger claim over the assets used by DaFuq!?Boom! than Invisible Narratives.
Following Newman's public disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! denied any involvement in the DMCA strike on the s&box Discord, seeking clarification on the notice. "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!” the creator stated.
The DMCA notice was reportedly sent on behalf of Invisible Narratives, LLC, which copyrighted "Titan Cameraman and 3 Other Unpublished Works" in 2023, including Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet. The legitimacy of DaFuq!?Boom!'s denial remains unconfirmed, but this isn't the first time the creator has faced copyright disputes.
Skibidi Toilet Copyright Strikes Other YouTubers
Last September, DaFuq!?Boom! intensified copyright claims against other YouTubers, notably GameToons, which produces content similar to DaFuq!?Boom!'s. GameToons tried to resolve the issue amicably but faced further strikes from DaFuq!?Boom!, risking the deletion of their channel. A week later, an agreement was reached with YouTube's assistance, though the specifics remain undisclosed, leaving many to view the initial copyright claim as contentious.
