Take-Two Interactive along with their subsidiary company, Rockstar Games, have filed a lawsuit against the BBC over the 90-minute drama Game Changer. The BBC film is based on the story of "arguably the greatest British coding success story since Bletchley Park – the triumph of the computer game Grand Theft Auto."
Game Changer, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton, was to focus on the development of the GTA game's and how they overcame opposition over their "violent gameplay."
The lawsuit has been filed over trademark infringement. Rockstar and Take-Two are looking to protect their trademark from 'misuse' in the BBC drama, as they are persuing an "unofficial depiction of purported events." Rockstar and Take-Two have not been a part of the BBC's Game Changer project and haven't reached a mutual resolution after a number of attempts from the game companies, thus leading to a lawsuit.
Here's Take-Two's official statement on the lawsuit:
"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.
While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion,Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. 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."
