The Romantics sue Guitar Hero Encore

Written by Joe Martin

November 22, 2007 | 11:25

Tags: #case #encore #guitar #hero #law #octane #red #sue #suit

Companies: #activision #harmonix

This is possibly the oddest lawsuit I've read about in a fair while, but The Romantics are apparently suing Activision, Harmonix and Red Octane over use of a song of theirs in Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the '80s.

It's not because the game doesn't have the license to use the song though - oh no. It's because the cover of the song featured in the game sounds too much like original version of "What I Like About You". Bizzare, I know.

The Romantics are now trying to halt the sale of the game and want a breakdown of all the profits, as well as an unspecified sum of monies. This is based on the claim that the games version of the song is 'virtually indistinguishable from the authentic version", according to Joystiq.

Oddly though, all the lawsuit is doing at the moment is propel the cover band, Wavegroup Sound, into the limelight and earning them more sales on iTunes wheras previously fans of the song may have bought the original version.

I personally can't see how Guitar Hero could have avoided the lawsuit though as, if The Romantics has got what they wanted and and a really bad version of the song had been made then they could have sued for damage to the bands reputation.

What do you reckon to the news? A load of aging pop-stars making a final grab for some cash, or a legitimate complaint? Let us know in the forums.
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