Florida Joker demands $5million from Rockstar over GTA trailer cameo
The Florida Joker has demanded a $5million fee for the use of his meme in the GTA 6 trailer, or else he will seek legal action.
29th Dec 2023 11:58
Rockstar Games
Florida Joker demands $5million from Rockstar over GTA trailer cameo
The Florida Joker has demanded a $5million fee for the use of his meme in the GTA 6 trailer, or else he will seek legal action.
29th Dec 2023 11:58
Rockstar Games
Ingrained in Florida culture is not only partying, festivals, and sports, but memes too, and that's exactly the angle that Rockstar Games has taken in the setting of Grand Theft Auto 6's Vice City.
The reveal of GTA 6, filled with custom references to Florida's esteemed memeing background, sparked unrecognisable hype within the gaming industry with the bar of expectation set at nothing less than the best game ever created - no pressure, Rockstar.
But not every element of the GTA 6 trailer is as well received as others - of course, that one still image is still being perved on - as one referenced meme, in particular, is kicking up a fuss.
The Florida Joker threatens legal action against Rockstar over GTA 6 Trailer
The Florida Joker, one of the internet's most noticeable memes, is tokened towards in the GTA 6 trailer, as a tattooed man was snapped getting a mugshot.
Although it hasn't been confirmed to be a direct rip-off of the meme, the man himself, Lawrence Sullivan, thinks that the reference is too uncanny to not be him, and after previously speaking out against Rockstar, he's now lodged a threat against Rockstar Games.
Sullivan has taken to TikTok to claim that he's being "harassed everywhere I go", and has now demanded that Rockstar Games pay him $5 million before January 11.
Florida Joker makes bold demands amid GTA 6 Trailer debacle
"This is the final warning. I've just come back from Miami, talked to both of my lawyers and we sent you a letter. If we don't get a response before my birthday on January 11, we will be taking legal action," Sullivan said on TikTok.
He used his platform to claim "I want $5 million now," in compensation.
According to Rockstar's former actor Roger Clark, who played Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption, the company is "too lawyered up" for these types of cases to be successful, and Sullivan should instead find his own way to "capitalise on it somehow".
GTA might be more Breaking Bad than Better Call Saul, but that doesn't mean their legal team isn't clued up to the nines on how to fend off suits like this...
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
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