Multi Theft Auto Returns to GitHub After Take-Two Fails to Sue

The Return of a Legend

Multi Theft Auto (MTA), one of the longest-running and most influential modding projects in gaming history, has officially returned to GitHub. The repository was restored earlier this week after Take-Two Interactive failed to pursue legal action following the MTA team's DMCA counter-notice.

The restoration marks a significant victory for the modding community, though the situation remains precarious given Take-Two's history of aggressive intellectual property enforcement.

What Happened?

In early December 2024, Take-Two Interactive—parent company of Rockstar Games—allegedly sent a DMCA takedown notice to GitHub targeting the MTA repository. The notice claimed the project contained "leaked source code" from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The DMCA takedown notice — The DMCA notice that targeted MTA's GitHub repository

The takedown came as a surprise to the MTA development team. In their Discord channel, developers expressed skepticism about the notice's authenticity, particularly because:

The entire repository was targeted without pointing to specific infringing code
Repository forks were not included in the takedown—unusual for legitimate DMCA notices
MTA has operated for over 22 years without serious legal challenges from Take-Two

MTA's Counter-Notice

On December 22, 2024, the MTA development team filed a formal DMCA counter-notice with GitHub, firmly denying the infringement allegations.

Their response stated:

"The repository referenced contains only original, independently developed source code and supporting materials created by contributors to the project. It does not include, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted assets, source code, or proprietary files from the original game or its publisher."

The developers emphasized that MTA operates through code injection and hooking techniques:

"The software operates by interacting at runtime with a lawfully installed, user-supplied copy of the original game. No copyrighted game content is extracted, copied, redistributed, or included within this repository."

How the DMCA Counter-Notice Process Works

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), when a counter-notice is filed, GitHub is required to restore the content within 10-14 business days—unless the original takedown requester files a federal lawsuit.

This creates a critical decision point: Take-Two had to either sue MTA's developers in court or allow the repository to come back online.

Take-Two chose not to sue.

Repository restored on GitHub — MTA's GitHub repository status after restoration

GitHub confirmed they "reviewed and processed the notices in accordance with our DMCA Takedown Policy" but declined to comment further on the specific case.

22 Years of Multi Theft Auto

First released in February 2003, Multi Theft Auto was the first multiplayer mod for the Grand Theft Auto series. Starting with GTA III, the project eventually expanded to support Vice City and San Andreas.

MTA gameplay screenshot — Multi Theft Auto in action — the mod adds full multiplayer to GTA San Andreas

Technical Approach

Unlike some other mod projects that have faced Take-Two's legal wrath, MTA has always maintained a careful technical approach:

Requires legitimate game copies: MTA only works with officially purchased versions of GTA
No game assets included: The mod contains zero copyrighted game content
Code injection method: Works by hooking into the running game rather than modifying files
Open source: The project has been fully open source for many years

By the Numbers (2025)

3,000-4,000 active game servers
600,000+ monthly players
200-1,000 concurrent players on top servers
Winner of ModDB's 2011 Mod of the Year Player Choice Award

MTA race mode gameplay — One of MTA's popular game modes — racing with custom vehicles and tracks

The Shadow of re3 and reVC

While MTA's restoration is a win, the modding community remains cautious. A similar situation played out with the re3 and reVC projects—reverse-engineered versions of GTA III and Vice City.

Those projects also successfully filed DMCA counter-notices and were briefly restored to GitHub. However, Take-Two eventually filed a federal lawsuit against the developers, forcing the repositories offline again.

The lawsuit dragged on until April 2023, when both parties reached an out-of-court settlement. The terms remain unknown, but the projects have never returned—suggesting the settlement required them to stay offline permanently.

Take-Two's History with GTA Modding

Take-Two Interactive has a complex and often contentious relationship with the GTA modding community.

The OpenIV Crisis (2017)

In June 2017, Take-Two sent cease-and-desist letters to the developers of OpenIV, the most popular modding tool for GTA IV and GTA V. The tool had operated for nearly a decade.

The community reaction was explosive:

80,000+ petition signatures to save OpenIV
GTA V received overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam
Fans organized boycotts of Take-Two products

Rockstar eventually intervened, stating they "believe in reasonable fan creativity." Take-Two agreed not to pursue legal action against single-player, non-commercial mods—though this policy has been inconsistently applied.

Other Notable Takedowns

GTA browser port (2024): DOS Zone's browser-playable version taken down despite requiring original game ownership
Various mod projects: Continuous DMCA notices against tools and mods perceived to affect GTA Online revenue

MTA multiplayer session — Players gathering in an MTA multiplayer server

What This Means for the Modding Community

MTA's survival demonstrates that well-structured mod projects can defend themselves against legal challenges—but only if they:

Maintain clean code: No leaked or reverse-engineered game code
Require legitimate copies: Don't distribute copyrighted content
Document everything: Clear records of independent development
Fight back legally: File counter-notices when appropriate

However, the threat never fully disappears. Take-Two could theoretically pursue legal action at any time, as they did with re3/reVC after initial restoration.

Looking Ahead

As GTA VI approaches its Fall 2025 console launch (with PC following in 2026-2027), the modding community faces uncertainty. Take-Two's tolerance for mods has fluctuated over the years, and a new flagship title could prompt renewed enforcement efforts.

For now, Multi Theft Auto continues to serve hundreds of thousands of players monthly—a testament to both the project's technical merit and its developers' willingness to stand their ground.

The MTA repository is once again available at github.com/multitheftauto. The project remains open source and actively developed after more than two decades.