Fake guitar suits keep coming from Gibson

Guitar makers Gibson, who recently filed patent infringement suit against Activision for the Guitar Hero game series has taken the same suit to the makers of Rock Band, MTV Networks, Harmonix, and Electronic Arts.

The guitar maker whose brand was made famous by axe-slingers from Jimmy Page to B.B. King recently sued Activision for patent infringement, claiming that the Guitar Hero concept was property of the guitar company.

The patent Gibson holds and cited in the suit is from 1999, covering the system for a "virtual concert" where the user plays an instrument that triggers pre-recorded sections of music in time with a song. Due to Guitar Hero's similar nature, the suit demands a license be paid to Gibson for the idea. Activision reportedly countersued, saying that Gibson granted implied license by waiting over three years to sue the company.

Another suit was filed on Friday against the creators of Rock Band a similar music/performance simulation game produced by Electronic Arts and Viacom's MTV Networks. Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band work on a system developed by Harmonix, a gaming company specializing in controller schemes optimized for music games.

Patents held by Harmonix for Real-Time Music Creation System were filed three years prior to Gibson and appear more computer-oriented than the guitar company's.