Nashville, Tenn. - Guitar manufacturer Gibson has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit over guitar-replica controllers used in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," this time suing "Rock Band" makers Harmonix, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks and Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS). Gibson also last week filed suit against a number of retailers, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), for selling Activision's (NASD: ATVI) "Guitar Hero" in violation of its 1999 patent.

The patent in question describes technology that lets users "simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3-D display that includes stereo speakers."

While Gibson has not directly sued Activision, for its part Activision has asked a federal court to declare that Guitar Hero controllers do not violate Gibson's patent.

"We disagree with the applicability of their patent and would like a legal determination on this," George Rose, Activision's general counsel, said in explaining Activision's lawsuit, the Associated Press reported.

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_hi_te/rock_band_dispute_7

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http://www.gibson.com