Grand Theft Auto V is the center piece to a recent controversy between the parent company of Rockstar Games — Take Two Interactive, and the BBC who allegedly infringed on the developer’s creative property and trademarks.
The developer of the massively successful open-world shooter is claiming the British television company has unfairly used the Rockstar trademarks and that they are more than displeased with “BBC’s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games.” according to a report by Gamespot.
Rockstar claims they have had no official involvement in the project and that they’ve tried to address the issue but neither side is budging. “We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary.”
The BBC docu-drama that has been the catalyst for this series of events, titled Game Changer, intends to depict the real-life stories behind the GTA franchise. The film is mostly based on the book, Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, with Daniel Radcliffe starring as Rockstar’s co-founder Sam Houser.
Despite the controversy BBC has elected to not comment on any legal matters at this time.