Rockstar Sues BBC over GTA Film

Video game developer Rockstar and publisher Take Two are announcing that it is launching a lawsuit against the BBC for trademark infringement because of the Game Changes documentary that it is aiming to create based on the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

The companies are claiming that they have not been consulted about the project and that they are not involved in its development in any significant ways.

A statement sent by Rockstar says, "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."

The Game Changer documentary is designed to focus on how the Grand Theft Auto franchise was initially created at Rockstar and the impact that it had on the video game world.

It is unclear whether the BBC will be interested in bringing in the two companies to work on the project or if they will fight the lawsuit in the courts even as they create it.