See? This is why Activision is more evil than EA.

Gibson can suck my dick.

This is some kind of magical bullshit. There's no reason they have to sue retailers.

This is clearly money related Gibson. I sure didn't see them sue over Guitar Freaks, which was nowhere near as popular. I'm just confused as to why they're doing this now, well after having their brand and guitars all over the previous successful iterations.
@Redface, The Dark Messiah of Justice: See what? Please explain.

Argue that it was an inevitable discovery.
Point to Guitar Freaks.
Point out how the Gibson patent was clearly not the basis for GH or GF.
???
PROFIT!

Confirmed: Fender Sponsors GHIV

Uh... what about Rock Band? Don't they use the same basic toy guitar technology?

Maybe they didnt sue Guitar Freaks because their patent was a US patent and doesn't apply to games made in Japan?! Just speculation, if someone knows the answer please feel free to let me know.

@Adam: They're suing GH for the likeness and name-brand rights, not the toy guitar itself.

Rock Band uses Fender, and they're paying them their licensing fees.

The problem is, Activision wasn't paying Gibson license fees for using the Gibson logo in-game.

@Adam:
I've been wondering about this for some time, I wonder if gibson brought the issue to harmonix and mtv parent company paid what ever fee was neccsary.
@Erwin:
They didn't sue over guitar freeks because it not out in america, I'm fairly certain that patents are only vaild in the country that they are filed in but don't quote me on that.

Guitar Freaks was made before the patent from Gibson. Gibson saw the success of Guitar Freaks and basically patented the game. I suspect they waited until now since...

Activision was paying licensing fees to Gibson over model and brand use

Activision no longer wants Gibson in their party and/or wants to pay less.

The bookie doesn't break your legs until you stop paying him......

@Polywhirl:
[kotaku.com]
???

@Polywhirl: Um no. Have you been following this lawsuit or are you just grasping at straws from the sky?
[www.reuters.com]

That's one intense game of Pong going on there.

That line "Activision chose to initiate litigation without notice to Gibson" is the most interesting one. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

@DrakeLake: @y2julio: Man, I somehow just really misread the original article.
...I don't even know how I managed to do that.

Brain fart?

@Polywhirl:
I did it without the insult though :3

EA's definitely not evil.

In game adverts? I could give a shit. EA owns some of the biggest developers in the business, and most of them produce really good games; though, not bereft of shovelwear.

But anyways -

Gibson's pulling a dick move with this; it's pissing me off. Why would they wait this long? I'm sure they are just trying to capitalize on the recent success of the Guitar Hero brand name. I mean really - what about that Arcade guitar game in Japan made by Konami? Or the variety of other "electronic guitar simulators" as Gibson calls them.

@Polywhirl: lol dude - its not about the name - they WERE paying Gibson for the right to have their instrument licensing. It is the peripheral.

I bet they're not suing THAT reluctantly.

This is why Metroid 2 home gfx make over can get taken out by the laywers.

If I recall the "Guitar Hero" controllers have no branding on them what so ever, it's just a guitar, it doesn't say gibson at the head of the neck. Suing retaliers is a back door tatic of course, interesting on how this plays out.

@Pornosaur: Yeah, it does. And the newest GH controller has a "Kramer" logo on the headstock, which is a subdivision of Gibson.

yess...YESSSSS...
and so the demise of guitar hero begins

As a person in the music instrument sales field, these games are paid by Gibson for their guitars to be in them. Krank amplifiers used a game and Metalocalypse product placement to build their product from nowhere. There was basically a bidding war to sponsor Rock Band after seeing what GH did for it's sponsors. Gibson has used these tactics for years. TONS of advertising, mediocre product. They also sue other companies left and right. This is far from the first time they've started a sue war that made no sense. Look a few years ago when they sued PRS for basically making a guitar. This is pretty much par for the course.

Good thing Guitar Hero is completely obsolete now that Rock Band came along

@last_dread:
Whatever Voldemort

Yet another reason I love my Fender.

We can only hope that this ends Guitar Hero Aerosmith.

@Demaar: YES! Thats perfect! Hopefully this distracts them and drains them of enough money to make them NOT put extra little crap games out there. Although... If you think about it. Guitar hero Aerosmith is a LOT quicker and cheaper to make than GH4... so... Unfortunately this may have the effect of even more "gimmicky" stuff like GH: Aerosmith and less work on GH4... If it even has the drastic enough of an effect at all.

@freakoflink: My GH3 for 360 controller says Gibson on top.

Gibson = the late 80s Atari of the guitar world? (i.e. retrospectively suing based on extremely vague patents from the past).

@Demaar: And here was me hoping for an annual series of 70/80's Hair-band themed games too. With some really, really disturbing 3D character models thrown in.

@freakoflink: LOL dude. EA not evil. Yes, the big blob that devours and sucks the life out of other developers is not evil. Neither is Satan, Hitler, or the RIAA.

You know, when someone is suing you for millions of dollars, it really doesn't make things any better for them to say that they're *reluctantly* suing you for millions of dollars. Just sayin'.

So, does no one else think it's strange that the last half of Gibson's "statement...in Regards to Guitar Hero Retailer Lawsuit" is essentially an advertisement for Gibson?

Methinks that the game is afoot.