Grand Theft Expression – Rockstar Games sues BBC

The parent company of Rockstar Games is suing the BBC for trademark infringement. Have the BBC ripped off Grand Theft Auto and put it for free on the iplayer? Here’s the deal and why it’s nonsense.

Game Changer is the working title of the BBC’s made for TV movie about Rockstar games. That cheapens it though, doesn’t it? Lets just call it a BBC 90 minute drama. The drama will be based on David Kushner’s book Jacked, telling the story of Rockstar’s early days and their legal battle with Jack Thompson. Thompson is to be played by Bill Paxton (Game over, man! Game over!) and Daniel Radcliffe will play Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser. Sam Houser and Jack Thompson both sound like 1930’s bootleggers to me but what do I know? They sound like they just walked straight off the set of Boardwalk Empire. Appropriate enough I suppose.

If you remember when GTA first came on the scene, there was a lot of noise about whether video games turn gamers into cold blooded criminals. Thank god we’ve all come to our senses now, eh? If we were all so easily influenced there would have been an explosion of family run plumbing services in the late 80’s. Still, there are rumblings from pressure groups every time a new GTA comes out. Why are Rockstar doing the rumbling this time around?

The issue revolves around ‘trademark infringement’ but a lawsuit seems a bit much as I don’t think anything the BBC could show on the subject would really hurt the franchise. If you love GTA and have read the book then you know any shady goings on already and I’m guessing you still enjoy running over pedestrians on the streets of Los Santos. If you love GTA and have no idea about any behind the scenes shenanigans then this will probably serve as an advertisement of sorts. I haven’t played GTA in about 6 months, I’ve never actually completed it but all this talk of BBC dramas and lawsuits is making me want to revisit Trevor’s meth lab (that’s laboratory not labrador by the way).

To me it seems a bit petty. Rockstar has been through the mill as far as lawsuits go so they know what it’s like when you’re on the other end. Take December last year for example. A group in Australia petitioned for GTA 5 to be banned and as a result, GTA 5 was removed from sale by 2 major retailers Down Under. Rockstar parent company Take-Two had this to say at the time.

“Not everyone can be made happy with one product. If you like it, you buy it and if not, you just stay away from it. But, we just don’t like the idea of a group of people making the decision that the game is offensive for millions of others.”

Can you make this point about freedom of expression while also suing the BBC for the most minor of trademark infringements?

“Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the BBC for trademark infringement based on their movie currently titled ‘Game Changer’ as it relates to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto video game series.”
– Rockstar’s statement as issued to IGN

I can’t really see what the BBC would be unduly doing with the GTA trademarks. They aren’t bringing out a video game based on Grand Theft Auto called Game Changer. It’s a drama. It’s not going to be mistaken for a GTA movie, I’m assuming there’ll be no car chases. Does Take-Two want the BBC to make this drama but change all the names and trademarked material?

In GTA 5 (GTA V?)  there’s a mission where you make Mark Zuckerberg’s head explode with a facebook app on an iphone. Wait. Sorry. I mean you make Jay Norris’s head explode with a friend invader app on an ifruit phone. Would Rockstar be happy if the BBC replaced all the names in their drama with new ones. That seems insane to me. How can you fight for freedom of expression while also insisting that the Grand Theft Auto story is told without mentioning Grand Theft Auto? Maybe playing GTA all these years has turned me into a cynic and they are doing this on purpose. Maybe they just want to kick up a stink to create more publicity After all, no publicity is bad publicity especially when it comes to GTA and I do have a hankering for some virtual carjacking.

Game Changer started filming on the 20^th April and will air on BBC2 later in the year……hopefully.