GTA Wiki Claims Fandom Plagiarized Its Content, Providing Evidence of the Allegations

Earlier this year, the dedicated mods and contributors behind the Grand Theft Auto Wiki decided to branch out and create their own ad-free version, free from censorship. Now, they’re leveling serious accusations against the larger platform, claiming that it has been plagiarizing their work, and they say they have proof to back it up.

On July 14, Rockstar Games dropped a significant free update for Grand Theft Auto Online, known as the Kortz Heist update, which introduced a wealth of new content to the game. The team at the GTA Wiki has been quick to document all the details, but it seems that the larger platform’s paid writers have been closely monitoring their work, allegedly copying it almost verbatim and posting it on their own site just minutes later.

According to GTA Wiki admin MonkeyPolice188, nearly all of the recent articles about the heist on the larger platform are blatant copies of content from their site. They’ve shared “receipts” that supposedly highlight this pattern of plagiarism, expressing a desire for everyone to see how brazen the larger platform has been.

The paid staff of the larger platform have been caught red-handed lifting new articles from the GTA Wiki. When the GTA Wiki removed the infringing content, the larger platform responded by banning their admins and claiming the similarities were mere coincidence.

Now we have the evidence.

MonkeyPolice188 shared a screenshot comparing text from both wikis, revealing that the content is nearly identical, with only minor word changes. Another striking piece of evidence involves a typo in the GTA Wiki’s initial post about a new car, the Merula, which incorrectly stated its top speed as 1870 KMPH. Interestingly, the larger platform’s article published shortly after featured the same erroneous top speed.

“We really couldn’t have come up with a better trap if we tried,” MonkeyPolice188 remarked, referencing a classic tactic used by map makers to catch those who copy their work without permission.

Attempts to reach out to both the larger platform and the GTA Wiki for comments went unanswered.

MonkeyPolice188 also claims to have evidence showing when a specific writer from the larger platform accessed newly published articles on the GTA Wiki to allegedly copy text and code. The timing of these actions aligns closely with the publication of similar articles on the larger platform, often just minutes apart.

Using their own account, MonkeyPolice188 reverted the changes made on the larger platform, asserting that these articles violate the GTA Wiki’s CC-BY-NC-SA license, which prohibits commercial use of their content. In retaliation, the larger platform banned the GTA Wiki admins and instructed them to file a DMCA takedown notice. The GTA Wiki team complied, but about 48 hours later, they received a response from the larger platform’s legal team stating that the overlapping material did not constitute copyright infringement or plagiarism. They argued that similarities in standard wiki formatting and factual statements about game updates are expected due to the nature of the content.

In essence, the larger platform is suggesting that there are limited ways to discuss this material, and any similarities are simply a byproduct of that.

MonkeyPolice188 noted that after leaving the larger platform to establish their own GTA Wiki, they anticipated that the larger platform would hire less knowledgeable staff to manage their wiki in their absence. With the release of GTA 6 on the horizon, which is expected to draw millions of players, the larger platform needs to ensure their content is up-to-date. However, the alleged plagiarism and the legal response have left the smaller GTA Wiki team feeling disillusioned and wary.

“Unlike those who are copying our content, none of us are getting paid to edit the GTA Wiki,” MonkeyPolice188 stated. “We don’t have the resources to escalate this further. Since the larger platform seems unwilling to adhere to copyright laws, my hope is that this unethical practice gains more attention, and that more people discover there’s a better GTA Wiki out there that isn’t cluttered with ads.”