|
Thursday March 13, 2008
|
Finally, the lawsuits have arrived.
In the music industry, once it stops being about the music, it always becomes about the money. And now that Guitar Hero has spawned a cottage industry of living-room rocker fakery, it was only a matter of time before suits were filed and lawyers got into the mix. So I'm not surprised that Gibson Guitar has sued Activision over Guitar Hero, claiming that the games infringe on one of Gibson's patents. Gibson is claiming that the style of play, which has players press buttons on a guitar-shaped controller, violates a 1999 patent for technology to simulate musical performance.
What's truly odd about this particular case is that Gibson is the official guitar license for Guitar Hero III, which comes bundled with a Gibson Les Paul-shaped controller. Maybe Gibson is upset over the numerous third-party controllers that have arrived en masse, or maybe Gibson has noticed a dropoff in sales of real guitars due to the popularity of the game; after all, the kids on "South Park" did proclaim that real guitars were "for old people." Either way, it looks like Gibson is out to make a little more "real money" out of the virtual guitar concept. Long live rock and roll.
Post by Peter Suciu
|
|
|
Stumble
Digg
del.icio.us
Slashdot
March 13, 2008 1:26 PM
If anything's to blame for a dip in Gibson's sales, it's the fact that they've been spinning their wheels for decades, continuing to build their business on a guitar design that's 56 years old, and hasn't had any major innovation since its inception.
Young players are turning to more innovative companies like ESP, Paul Reed Smith, or Ibanez, and those who want a Les Paul have figured out that a used model can be easily had on eBay for half of Gibson's ridiculous MSRP's.
March 14, 2008 1:57 PM
to g.park:
i dont know how familiar you are with guitar design history, but the models produced in the 1940's (j-45), or the 1970's (hummingbird) are what DEFINED gibson tone.
dont fix whats not broken, right? there is a reason why companies like gibson and martin havent changed designs since the 1940's.
April 19, 2008 12:19 AM
>>dont fix whats not broken, right? there is a reason why companies like gibson and martin havent changed designs since the 1940's.
Yes, because they are fat and lazy and think that just because they once were, they always will be. They'll go the way of IBM, Ford, and the English Empire..
April 19, 2008 4:58 AM
>>dont fix whats not broken, right? there is a reason why companies like gibson and martin havent changed designs since the 1940's.
Yes, because they are fat and lazy and think that just because they once were, they always will be. They'll go the way of IBM, Ford, and the English Empire..