GTA 5’s biggest RP mod ignites a huge copyright purge of real-world cars just 2 months after joining Rockstar

Following an acquisition by Rockstar Games, the team behind GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2’s biggest roleplay mods is enforcing copyright compliance more closely, posing some big questions for several servers.  

Speaking on a recent community update, the team behind FiveM and RedM – essentially mods that enable you to play multiplayer on customized, dedicated servers – reveals that replacing the logo on real-world cars in-game isn’t enough to be IP compliant. Now, cars replicating those available outside the game will be scrubbed out, as per a new Platform License Agreement. 

“‘De-badging’ vehicles is a first good step but that alone does not mean your server is fully compliant with the PLA,” the statement from Cfx.re reads. “You must fully remove all real-world vehicles from your server.

“We cannot allow custom assets or mods that infringe third-party intellectual property (IP). Real-world brands, unique vehicle designs, and 3D software models are generally protectable under trademark or copyright. If you use a real-world car model pulled from another game without permission, that could result in claims against your server by both the car company (brand, logo, car design) or the game developer (3D model).

“What can you use instead? We encourage the community to get creative – design your own unique vehicles and brands!”

While that sentiment likely applies to anything that may infringe on another’s IP, cars have likely been used due to their popularity among FiveM servers. Not only do you get servers dedicated to car meets and racing, but some charge players for using a vehicle that represents the same thing. 

As such, some haven’t taken the news too well, though plenty sympathize with Cfx.re, saying that the team is doing both the right things and, likely, the only thing they could do in this case. 

“I don’t understand the commotion over the copyright stuff,” one fan says. “It was always frowned upon in the first place, if outright not allowed because T2 has acted upon that in the past, even before the acquisition.

“The only difference now is that it’s visible and explicit in the TOS that you can’t use copyrighted content in servers - especially now that it can be enforced more properly with Cfx being acquired.”

Elsewhere in the community update, Cfx.re has made its stance clear on fans importing the map from GTA 4, Red Dead Redemption, or any other games into their servers. 

“FiveM and RedM are about creating your own custom version of the world in GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 respectively,” they say. “We do not support combining IP or assets from other games into FiveM and RedM, regardless of whether developed by Rockstar or someone else.”

Rockstar initially revealed it had joined up with Cfx.re back in August, saying plenty to mull over what it could mean for the likes of GTA 6. One is our own Features ed’ Joe Donnelly, who reckons it could be “absolutely massive.” As ever, we need only wait and see – just don’t expect to see a Mercedes-Benz anywhere.

Here are the best GTA 5 mods to mess around with on PC right now, speaking of.