Gibson Guitar has told Activision Inc. that its wildly popular "Guitar Hero" video games infringe one of Gibson"s patents, and Activision has asked a U.S. court to find the claim invalid. Gibson said the games, in which players press buttons on a guitar-shaped controller in time with notes on a TV screen, violates a 1999 patent for technology to simulate a musical performance.
On Tuesday, Activision filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson"s patent invalid and to bar it from seeking damages. Gibson made its claims in a letter sent to Activision in January, a copy of which was included in Activision"s lawsuit.