Mar
25
Patents news: Guitar Hero and Rock Band
Posted by Dirk Avery at 2:35 pm under Litigation, Patent, Video games.
Gibson goes on suing spree
Hoping, perhaps, to dip into lucrative video game revenue, Gibson Guitar, maker of “real” guitars, is on a serious lawsuit binge. There are cease and desist letters, cross suits, failed negotiations, acquisitions and declaratory judgment actions.
Sometimes, maybe, moderate success is better than wild popularity. Activision’s Guitar Hero has […]
Mar
13
Like many heroes, Guitar Hero in trouble
Posted by Dirk Avery at 11:32 am under Litigation, Patent, Video games.
Gibson Guitar, the famous maker of “real” guitars, is seeking an injunction against Activision which would prevent further sales of the popular Guitar Hero game. Gibson, which holds some 52 utility patents issued since 1976, has a patent (US Pat No. 5,990,405) on a “System and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical […]
Jan
22
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: Free video games
Posted by Dirk Avery at 8:41 pm under Copyright, Internet, Video games.
Copyright law is often used for renting seeking. Most often, the rent is in the form of advertising. Television and radio both are all about selling stuff. The commercials are the point. The content: the TV shows, the songs, is just the vehicle to get people to watch the commercials. […]