Take-Two sues Chicago Transit Authority over GTA 4 ad pullout

Poster ads for Rockstar North‘s controversial Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) were pulled out from Chicago buses and transit spaces a few days after they were put up, and publisher Take-Two Interactive certainly wasn’t pleased. T2 sued the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) due to breach of contract and free speech violation. More details in the full article.

If you can still remember, advertisements for Rockstar North‘s Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) were pulled out from buses under the Chicago Transit Authority, after Fox News aired criticism concerning the advertising appearing in buses and transit display spaces. But publisher Take-Two Interactive is now striking back, suing CTA and sales agent Titan Outdoor LLC for breach of contract.

The Grand Theft Auto IV poster ads were supposed to be displayed for six weeks according to the contract, but were taken down a few days after they were put up. The lawsuit filed by Take-Two – claiming violation of free speech and contractual rights – demands for CTA to run the ads per their agreement, as well as pay monetary damages amounting to at least US$ 300,000.

The Chicago Transit Authority hasn’t given its comment yet. However, this is certainly an interesting development, and you can count on us to keep tabs on this bit of news. More details as they come.

Buy: [ Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3) ]
Buy: [ Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) ]