Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, continues its crackdown onGTA Onlinemodders with a new lawsuit that seeks $150,000 in damages.
Mods inGTA Online, the online component ofGrand Theft Auto V, allow players to cheat and gain unfair advantages over other players. Take-Two has recently ramped up its actions againstGTA Onlinemods, with the latest lawsuit filed against the creator of a software named Elusive.
Take-Two has suedFlorida resident Jhonny Perez for copyright infringement for his role in the creation and distribution of Elusive, which was sold for between $10 to $30.
“In essence, Defendant is free riding on Take-Two’s intellectual property to sell a commercial product that interferes with the carefully orchestrated and balanced gameplay that Take-Two created for its players,” the publisher said in the court filing.
Take-Two previously reached out to Perez to ask for detailed financial statements to come up with a fair settlement. However, Perez reportedly failed to provide the documents and eventually stopped responding to communications, which pushed Take-Two to proceed with default judgment.
The software company is nowseeking$150,000 in damages, as well as about $70,000 in legal fees, after it was estimated that Elusive caused $500,000 in damages to the publisher. Take-Two is also seeking an injunction against Perez to end his career as a mod creator for the publisher’s games.
Take-Two does not really need the cash, asGrand Theft Auto Vis still making money four years after its release with the help ofGTA Online. The amount, however, may make modders think twice about continuing their business of destroying the game’s balance.
The lawsuit against Perez, which was filed in August, follows an injunction against Georgia resident David Zipperer that was handed down that same month. Zipperer, the modder behind Menyoo and Absolute, is no longer allowed to create or sell mods forGrand Theft Auto VandGTA Online.
Take-Two, on the other hand, is no stranger to being on the other end of legal actions, though a four-year lawsuitfinally came to an endin March. The New York Court of Appeals ended actress Lindsay Lohan’s case thatGrand Theft Auto Vcharacter Lacey Jonas was based on her likeness.
