Just under two weeks ago, Take Two, parent company of Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games, issued a cease and desist notification to Grand Theft Auto V mod, OpenIV. Over the weekend, Rockstar has issued a new statement which essentially reverses that decision, allowing OpenIV to continue development.
Rockstar's statement has been posted in the Rockstar Support forum, and clarified that the developer does allow single-player mods. The statement follows in full:
"Rockstar Games believes in reasonable fan creativity, and, in particular, wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. After discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties. This does not apply to (i) multiplayer or online services; (ii) tools, files, libraries, or functions that could be used to impact multiplayer or online services, or (iii) use or importation of other IP (including other Rockstar IP) in the project. This is not a license, and it does not constitute endorsement, approval, or authorization of any third-party project. Take-Two reserves the right to object to any third-party project, or to revise, revoke and/or withdraw this statement at any time in their own discretion. This statement does not constitute a waiver of any rights that Take-Two may have with respect to third-party projects."
After discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties.
It's possible to interpret from this statement, and from the fact that Rockstar - not Take Two - released a statement after the initial cease and desist was issued, that Rockstar was not fully in agreement with its parent company's actions in banning OpenIV. Alternatively, Rockstar was not aware of the cease and desist before it was actually issued, and would not have issued it themselves. Hopefully Take Two will be less trigger-happy when it comes to taking legal action against mods.