Take-Two shifts to targeted, sealed subpoenas in GTA 6 leak probe
The publisher is narrowing its legal search for leakers on Discord while requesting court secrecy to avoid tipping off targets.
Take-Two Interactive has intensified its legal campaign to identify the sources of Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks by filing a second, more precise subpoena request against Discord. The publisher is now seeking to keep these proceedings sealed to prevent targets from discovering the investigation.
On August 28, Take-Two filed a request for a new Discord subpoena that specifically targets one additional user and seeks further identifying data for a user previously identified. In a motion to seal the filing, Take-Two argued that public disclosure could compromise its "rapidly evolving" investigation and potentially tip off the alleged infringers. Simultaneously, the company has withdrawn a separate DMCA subpoena request against Google and YouTube, stating that the information from those platforms is no longer required.
A shift in legal strategy
This targeted approach marks a significant departure from Take-Two's initial efforts following the massive leaks of GTA 6 gameplay footage. The company's first wave of legal action involved broad DMCA subpoenas directed at Microsoft, X, and Discord. Those initial requests faced heavy criticism for their massive scope, as they targeted hundreds of thousands of users across multiple servers in what was described as a "dragnet" approach to data collection.
Implications for privacy and IP
The transition from broad data requests to surgical, sealed subpoenas highlights the ongoing tension between corporate copyright enforcement and user privacy. By moving away from wide-scale subpoenas, Take-Two appears to be responding to the legal and public scrutiny surrounding the scale of its initial requests. However, the move to seal court documents demonstrates the extreme lengths publishers are willing to go to protect high-value intellectual property and ensure that evidence is not destroyed before it can be seized.
What remains
While Take-Two has narrowed its focus, the full extent of the "rapidly evolving" probe remains unclear. It is yet to be seen if the company will pursue further sealed requests against other platforms or if the current Discord targets will provide the definitive link to the original source of the leaks. For now, the publisher is prioritizing secrecy and precision over the broad-spectrum approach used at the start of the investigation.