![Players had signed a petition, requesting the company to keep OpenIV in operation. [Image via VG247/vg247.com]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/6/24/660x290/b_502x220x82/gta-5-the-21-best-vehicle-mods-vg247-vg247com_1404607.jpg "Players had signed a petition, requesting the company to keep OpenIV in operation. [Image via VG247/vg247.com]")
After having issued a cease-and-desist order against the highly popular “Grand Theft Auto” modding software, OpenIV, which essentially shut down all of its operations, Rockstar has now apparently given its blessing to have the software reactivated. Through what seemed to have included hours of legalities and red tape, Rockstar has now convinced its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, to still allow OpenIV to operate within its title’s single player modes.
Public outrage
Shortly after the legal shutdown of the “Grand Theft Auto 5” modding tool, players within the “GTA” community immediately responded and expressed their disappointment and frustration towards the decision.
A petition was even launched for the company to allow OpenIV to remain in operation, as it wasn’t really causing any trouble for the company or their properties.
The petition quickly ballooned to include more than 77,000 signatures as of this writing. To further drive home their frustration towards the decision, hundreds of players went on Steam to give the game bad reviews and rating. Their efforts basically sank the game’s average user score on the platform in a matter of hours.
Lengthy negotiations
In a recent post on their website, Rockstar explained that they directly approached Take-Two Interactive and asked them to avoid pursuing any legal action against the developers of OpenIV. The company believes that the software itself still has a place in the gaming community as it does promote creativity amongst the fans of their games.
After what was apparently a lengthy discussion, Take-Two Interactive agreed to the terms, but with a few restrictions.
Strict conditions
According to Take-Two, they will only allow third-party projects for their different titles if they adhere to their conditions. Projects and software must only be built for single player consumption and must in no way affect or interfere with the “GTA Online” community.
The projects must also be non-commercial and in no way infringe upon their title’s intellectual property rights. The company further explained that their biggest concern as of the moment is protecting the online players from malicious mods that interfere with the game’s overall experience.
As of the moment, there is already an updated version of the OpenIV software that is available to download.
The new version apparently now has Rockstar’s blessings, but it still remains unclear what changes had to be made for that to happen. Nevertheless, the move has been seen by the community as a step forward for modding in general.
