LittleBigPlanet Copyright Complaint Removed From Garry's Mod Workshop

Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod, reportedly received a DMCA takedown notice concerning unauthorized Skibidi Toilet content within the game. The source of the notice is currently unclear, despite initial reports linking it to Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet film and TV franchises. A Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has since denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.

The DMCA Controversy

The takedown notice claimed the absence of any licensed Skibidi Toilet content for Garry's Mod on Steam or through Valve. This is ironic, considering the Skibidi Toilet series itself originated using assets from Garry's Mod, ported over by Alexey Gerasimov's YouTube channel, DaFuq!?Boom!, into Source Filmmaker for animation. This series unexpectedly became a Gen Alpha meme, leading to merchandise and planned film/TV adaptations.

Newman publicized the DMCA on the s&box Discord, highlighting its unexpected nature. Invisible Narratives' notice asserted copyright ownership of characters like Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet. They cited DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Garry's Mod itself uses assets from Valve's Half-Life 2, yet Valve approved its release as a standalone game. This raises questions about the validity of Invisible Narratives' claim, given Valve's stronger legal standing regarding the original assets.

DaFuq!?Boom! subsequently denied involvement in the DMCA on the s&box Discord, adding to the confusion. The notice was filed "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," citing copyright registration in 2023 for the mentioned characters.

Previous Copyright Disputes

This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first copyright controversy. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTuber, ultimately reaching an undisclosed settlement.

The current situation surrounding the Garry's Mod DMCA remains unresolved, highlighting the complexities of copyright in the rapidly evolving world of online content creation and meme culture. The legitimacy of the DMCA notice, and the identity of the sender, remain unconfirmed.