GMOD DMCA Takedown Raises Copyright Questions

Garry's Mod faces a surprising DMCA takedown notice, allegedly from a source connected to the Skibidi Toilet franchise, demanding removal of unauthorized Skibidi Toilet-themed Garry's Mod content. Initial reports implicated Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV projects, but the DMCA sender's identity remains unclear. The situation is ironic, considering Skibidi Toilet's origins using Garry's Mod assets.

Garry Newman, Garry's Mod's creator, shared the DMCA notice on the s&box Discord server, highlighting its unexpected nature. The notice claims copyright ownership over 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 infringing content.

This claim is particularly ironic, given that DaFuq!?Boom! used Garry's Mod assets to create the original Skibidi Toilet content. While Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Valve's Half-Life 2, Valve has authorized its release. A stronger claim could arguably be made by Valve against DaFuq!?Boom! for unauthorized use of their assets.

DaFuq!?Boom!'s creator has since denied involvement in the DMCA notice, adding to the ongoing uncertainty. The notice was filed "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," citing copyright registration in 2023 for the disputed characters. This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first brush with copyright controversies; last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, later reaching an undisclosed agreement. The situation surrounding the Garry's Mod DMCA remains unresolved, raising questions about the legitimacy of the claim and the implications for user-generated content within the gaming community.