To be fair, Konami's actually claiming patent infringement and intellectual property rights infringement, or as close to it as we can gather. Konami of Korea issued a statement about the lawsuit earlier today, so we're trusting Google Translate to guide us through Korean legalese.

Konami looks to have filed the lawsuit in the Seoul Central District Court yesterday, seeking damages and to prohibit Pentavision from selling offending products.

Konami filed suit against Harmonix, MTV and Viacom earlier this year over patents it alleges were violated by Rock Band.

We've contacted Konami for comment and will update when we hear more.

음악 시뮬레이션 게임 "DJ MAX 시리즈"에 대한 특허침해소송 제기의 건 [Konami Korea - thanks, Riyu!]

MTV News received a response from an MTV spokesperson on the matter — which, in my mind, was shouted across cubicles — who said the lawsuit was "extremely surprising." The rep further noted that "successful products such as 'Rock Band' can often become targets for baseless litigation." We agree, especially when the entity filing suit is showing up extremely late to the party with its own stillborn excuse for a rock game. At least those poor unfortunate litigation lawyers will finally get a few bucks coming to 'em.

Further details on the suit at MTV News.

'Rock Band' Creators Sued By 'Rock Revolution' Publisher Konami [MTV News]

ビーマニ最新作が絶賛稼働中 [IT Media]

For the release of Guitar Hero III, however, we're starting to see some evidence of the licensing of Konami's patents for the ultra-successful Activision franchise, now at developer Neversoft. Gamasutra's Simon Carless explains the relationship between multiple parties, including one that, oddly enough, was originally in an MTV branded product, not unlike the upcoming Rock Band.

A fine piece of investigatin' by the gang at Gamasutra.

Exploring Guitar Hero III's Patent Secrets [Gamasutra]

According to Famitsu, Konami's upcoming Revolution title Elebits was designed ground-up for new controller. Players hunt down little creatures called Elebits, which provide energy for the planet. The title could very well take advantage of NiWiFi, but specifics have yet to be disclosed. What else do we know? Shingo Mukaitouge (Guitar Freaks, Drum Mania) is helming the game. That's about it folks, so cue the obligatory "Expect more at E3."

Expect 1Up Here [1Up]

I still love Guitar Hero, but I have to admit that Konami's recent announcement about Guitar Freaks has me intrigued. Import store NCSX, by way of GameSetWatch, says that a new arcade-style controller for the game has been green-lighted by Konami. The guitar, which will be a close replication of the one used in the arcade, will cost a whopping $200 plus another $89 to import. Crap. I guess I'll stick with Guitar Hero.

Guitar Controllers That Cost More Than Consoles [GSW]