Gibson Files Law Suit Against Guitar Hero
This is just silly! What’s next? Read on . . .
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Radiohead – Anyone Can Play Guitar
From Paidcontent.org
By Joseph Weisenthal – Wed 12 Mar 2008 12:59 PM PST
As if you needed any more evidence that Guitar Hero had made it big: Guitar company Gibson has accused the game’s maker, Activision (NSDQ: ATVI), of violating a 1999 patent for “technology for simulating a musical performance.” Activision disclosed in a court filing, as part of an attempt to get the patent made invalid, that Gibson made its view known in a January letter, according to Reuters. Gibson wants to enjoin Activision from selling the game, says Bloomberg… but it’s a safe guess that the problem could go away for the right price. An odd aspect of this is that the two companies have partnered in the past on IP issues—trademark Gibson guitars have been featured in the game itself (see here), though that’s obviously separate from a patent issue.
– Here’s the exact description of the relevant patent. You can judge for yourself how close it is to Guitar Hero (try to read it through the eyes of an East Texas juror): “A musician can simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3D display that includes stereo speakers. Audio and video portions of a musical concert are pre-recorded, along with a separate sound track corresponding to the musical . . .
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Pingback by TRASH MENAGERIE |Trash March Love Recap! — April 3, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
What is the matter with these people, You mean the want to try and disrupt a good game like Guitar Hero? Come on and back off.
Comment by Junior — June 18, 2008 @ 3:34 pm