MegaGames let us know that two separate law suites have been filed against the Grand Theft Auto franchise creators, one for copyright infringement and a far more serious one, of leading two teenagers to commit murder. Here is a small clip:

In the first case graffiti artist Christopher Ellis filed suit against Take Two Interactive and Rockstar for allegedly using without permission his artwork in the video game, Grand Theft Auto III. In the suit, Ellis asserts that the two companies copied, used, and distributed his artwork, Daze in the videogame that is played on Playstation2 and other medians. The suit says that Ellis has gained an international reputation for his work, which has been reproduced in books, magazines, and film.

The second law suit concerns the story of two stepbrothers, 16-year-old William and 14-year-old Joshua Buckner, who told police they were emulating Grand Theft Auto, on the night of June 25 when they took shotguns to Interstate 40, near their Newport, Tenn., home, and opened fire on vehicles. The emulation resulted in the death of one motorist, Aaron Hamel and serious injury to another, while another person was also hurt.