News
Now Gibson sues retailers
Samantha Loveday Mar 26 2008, 9:43am
Wal-Mart and five other major US retailers need to stop selling Guitar Hero says firm.
Already embroiled in a lawsuit with video game publisher Activision, Gibson Guitar is now suing Wal-Mart and five other major retailers which sell its Guitar Hero game.
A federal lawsuit filed last week claims that Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Amazon.com, Gamestop and Toys R Us should stop selling the game.
The legal spat with Activision revolves around claims from Gibson that Guitar Hero violates a patent Gibson obtained in July 1998 for 'a system for electronically simulating participation by a user in a prerecorded musical performance'.
"Our Guitar Hero retailing partners have done nothing wrong," Activision said in a statement. "We will confront this and any other efforts by Gibson to wrongfully interfere with Activision's relationship with its customers and its consumers."
Guitar Hero players perform songs using a stringless, plastic guitar that plugs into a game console. Animated musicians playing along and graphics that guide the user's play are featured on the TV screen.
