The standoff between Rockstar Games and CYBERLEEK is taking on a new dimension, this time a legal one. Since the start of the week, the leaker has already published 7 previously unseen GTA 6 gameplay videos, before going on to openly taunt Rockstar by announcing further revelations. Several of those clips were quickly taken down, but they have systematically resurfaced elsewhere. Faced with this situation, Take-Two Interactive is now going on the offensive in court, having just obtained authorisation from a New York court to demand information from Microsoft and Discord, with a very specific goal: identifying the people involved in spreading this data.
Microsoft and Discord called in to help
The federal court for the Southern District of New York has approved the requests filed by Take-Two, allowing the company to issue subpoenas — court orders compelling the platforms concerned to hand over certain information. As far as Discord is concerned, Take-Two is looking in particular to obtain the data needed to identify the accounts that distributed protected content across various servers. The request addressed to Microsoft concerns material said to have been posted on GitHub. The documents list several categories of content protected by Take-Two’s copyright: videos, images, artwork, dialogue and other creative material from GTA 6.
Discord has confirmed that it regularly receives this type of DMCA-related request, and says it reviews and then complies with valid court orders. Microsoft has also thrown its weight behind Rockstar and Take-Two. Scott Van Vliet, Xbox’s chief technology officer, says Microsoft is working directly with both companies to protect their intellectual property.
CYBERLEEK keeps playing with fire
The proceedings come as CYBERLEEK shows absolutely no sign of standing down, claiming to have obtained a playable build of GTA 6 and continuing to release unseen footage despite the successive takedowns. The group has even invited internet users to choose which content they would like to see leaked next. Its site is also said to have tried to monetise upcoming releases, with demands reaching as much as 164,000 dollars in cryptocurrency simply to make contact and discuss advertising placements. Take-Two is therefore now trying to trace the accounts used to distribute the files and, ultimately, identify those responsible for the leaks.
