Those Activision contracts must have one heck of a tiny print section.
As many of you will remember, a few months ago Courtney Love threatened to sue Activision over the use of Kurt Cobain’s image in Guitar Hero 5. While she had agreed to allow Kurt’s likeness to be used, she had not realized that his “avatar” could be used to perform a number of songs in the Band Hero catalogue, a move that both she and rival Dave Grohl agreed was disrespectful of her late husband. (And who could blame ‘em. There’s something just wrong about Kurt Cobain playing Bon Jovi.)
Well, Ms. Love is no longer alone on the issue. No Doubt is seeking an injunction and suing for damages over Activision’s Band Hero. Apparently they are upset that the band’s image can be used to play any of the songs featured in the game, and that the band’s members can be split up and placed randomly in any of the performances, which they contend violates the contract.
Activision for their part has responded:
“Some of the world’s most popular and iconic artists have been featured in Guitar Hero as playable characters, and we are proud to count No Doubt among them. Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero – an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry. Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band’s management in developing Band Hero. As a result, Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit. Activision is exploring its own legal options with respect to No Doubt’s obligations under the agreement.”
In other words, “You signed the contract, nyah nyah.” We’ll see if anything comes of this lawsuit in the months ahead.
