Falling into the "It had to happen sooner or later" category is the following news that the makers of Guitar Hero, Activision, are being sued by Gibson guitar makers for allegedly infringing of the company's various copyrights. Activision has responded with a suit of their own asking the courts to invalidate the original lawsuit. Following is an excerpt from a letter that Gibson sent to Activision back in January this year claiming that Gibson holds a similar patent for a musical performance simulation.
"Based on our preliminary analysis, the Guitar Hero software (including any
expansion packs) and the guitar controller provided by Activision being used as
a musical instrument (packaged with the software or sold standalone) are covered
by the ... patent. Gibson requests that Activision obtain a license under Gibson's ... patent or
halt sales of any version of the Guitar Hero game software."
This adds to Activison's previous woes over a feud with Harmonix over royalties apparently due to them from Guitar Hero 3. Counsel for Activision, George Rose, had thew following to say, "Gibson is a good partner, and we have a great deal of respect for them. We disagree with the applicability of their patent and would like a legal
determination on this."
Better hold onto the GH sets, they may end up being worth a mint if the courts rule in favour of Gibson.