a gamer in australia has had his assets frozen in connection with a popular cheat a gamer in melbourne has had his assets frozen in connection with a popular video game cheat hes one of many being sued by game companies worldwide raising questions about copyright law and the policing of online civilitycreditphilippe lopezagence francepresse getty imagesnov 7 2018melbourne australia imagine you are racing a car through a packed city center you are in first place only seconds from victory when suddenly a missile explodes and kills you by the time you have come back to life youre playing a video game you are far behind the fleet but your attacker despite being rammed and shot at stands unharmedfor players of the popular video game grand theft auto online scenarios like this are not uncommon when facing off against competitors using an unauthorized plugin known as infamous that lets them make themselves invincible teleport or acquire unlimited weapons vehicles and currency but the games publisher rockstar games and its parent company taketwo interactive software are stepping up their response worldwide to what they see as outright cheats they have filed at least five lawsuits in the united states europe and australia with the most recent case including a search and seizure order against christopher anderson a melbourne man connected to infamousimagecreditasanka brendon ratnayake for the new york timeswhile the move has been welcomed by some gamers it has incensed others who argue that video games like other online realms should be open and collaborative creators working outside major corporations often develop modifications that enhance players experiences the crackdown has also raised broader questions about the reach of copyright law which some scholars see as a potential threat to free speech and whether search and seizure orders go a step too far in policing online civilitycheaters do tend to ruin the game experience for others but not everything that is antisocial is illegal nor should it be said mitch stoltz a senior attorney with the electronic frontier foundation a nonprofit in san francisco that defends digital privacy and free speech mr stoltz said the legal arguments being raised by game publishers pushed the boundaries of copyright law which generally applies to making permanent copies rather than temporary modifications changing a game isnt actually distributing a new version of the game just as watching a movie through tinted glasses isnt watching a new movie he said theres a lot of money at stake since being released in 2013 grand theft auto v has reportedly made 6 billion which is more than any film in history until recently gamers could easily download infamous for use with the online version of grand theft auto prices ranged from a few dollars to about 40 for a lifetime membership but earlier this year infamous was taken offline following a spate of legal action by game developers against modders or people who modify games in a way the original designers did not intendtaketwo interactive took legal action