Rockstar Games' Parent Company Demands $150,000 From 'GTA Online' Modder For Damages
, is also to serve as a deterrent to other modders who are creating evasive mods that negatively [...]
Rockstar Games' has been raging war against some prominent modders in the Grand Theft Auto Online community recently. And that war has hit another flashing point.
Back in June of last year, Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games struck down Open IV, which wasn't well received by the game's community, but the pair have continued since then striking out against certain types of modding, especially mod menus.
Earlier this year in August, Take-Two filed a lawsuit aimed at Jhonny Perez, a GTA Online modder out of Florida. At the tie, the massive media company claimed that Perez had breached Copyright infringements by creating and selling mods for the game that were designed to grief players and ruin the online experience.
The controversial modding software was dubbed "Elusive," and was sold anywhere between $10-30.
According to Take-Two Interactive, this was another issue: Perez was making a profit off Take-Two's property without its permission, and while breaking the customer agreement.
A specific number of how much money Perez made off "Elusive," isn't clear, but Take-Two estimates that the harm caused is roughly half a million dollars. Apparently, Take-Two tried to reach a settlement with the modder previously, but Perez eventually stopped cooperating with the company. And thus legal action is being taken.
The lawsuit, which was submitted to the NY Federal Court asking for $150,000 (the maximum amount), is also to serve as a deterrent to other modders who are creating evasive mods that negatively impact the game's experience for other players.
In addition to seeking $150,000, Take-Two has requested their attorney fees are covered -- $69,686 worth of fees -- and that the modder in question be ruled to stop making mods for Take-Two titles.
Personally, while it seems harsh to come down on a modder in this fashion, Take-Two has the right to protect its product and those that break agreements and copyright. From the sounds of it, the company tried to settle the matter without bringing it to the law of the land, but that didn't work out. From the sounds of it -- Take-Two doesn't have an issue with mods generally, just ones that negatively impact their product specifically.
Source: Torrent Freak via Rockstar Intel