What just happened? For all the years that it’s been riding high in the Steam and console charts, GTA V’s online element has been plagued by cheaters. It’s a problem Rockstar has fought back against in various ways. Now, parent company Take-Two Interactive has been granted a preliminary injunction to stop a man selling GTA V cheat programs.
From outright bans to emptying perpetrators' virtual bank accounts, Rockstar has used different ways to tackle those who break the rules, but Take-Two decided to go after one of the sources. It accused David Zipperer of selling the Menyoo and Absolute programs that help GTA V players cheat by giving them extra benefits and allowing the alteration of other players’ gameplay.
Take-Two said Zipperer ceased communications with the company when it asked him to stop selling the programs. It then sued the Ellabell, Georgia, man in federal court back in March. Yesterday, District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan sided with the gaming giant.
As per Reuters, Stanton said Take-Two was likely to show that Zipperer infringed its “Grand Theft Auto V” copyright. He added that the programs could damage the company’s sales and reputation as people could be discouraged from buying its games.
The judge said the injunction was appropriate as the unemployed Zipperer could not afford to pay damages. An unfair competition claim against Zipperer was dismissed.
In its original complaint, Take-Two said Menyoo and Absolute have resulted in it losing at least $500,000. The company has promised to take legal actions to avoid “disruptions” to its online gaming community.
https://www.techspot.com/news/76022-federal-judge-bans-gta-v-cheat-programs.html
