'Grand Theft Auto Online' cheat seller blocked by federal judge

It's not OK to cheat in video games, and it's especially not OK to sell cheats in online games.

Grand Theft Auto V's online mode has been plagued by cheaters so developer Rockstar Games' holding company Take-Two Interactive took one of the game's cheat distributors to court, effectively stopping him from selling cheats, Reuters reported Thursday.

The accused cheat seller, David Zipperer, was served a preliminary injunction by U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan for selling the programs Menyoo and Absolute, which are used by GTA players to give them an advantage over other non-cheating players online.

The injunction basically stops Zipperer from continuing his shady business practices while the court case is still ongoing.

Take-Two is Zipperer's sale of cheats copyright infringement — a pretty common accusation on cases like these because the accused individuals are illegally altering the game and effecting other people. Cheats and mods used in offline games or game modes do not fall under copyright infringement.

According to Reuters, Take-Two Interactive is claiming that Zipperer's cheats have cost the company $500,000 because cheats like these will keep people from buying or spending money in the game.

While Rockstar Games can try to curb cheaters through individual player bans, it may be more effective to nip the problem at the bud and stop the distributors.

H/T Variety.