“Guitar hero” : Licensed rights in harmony ?
”
GUITARHERO”:LICENSEDRIGHTSINHARMONY?
MARIE-ÈVECOTE*
LEGER
ROBICRICHARD,LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
GUITARHEROisaverypopularvideogamewithteensandmusicfans.Thisgame
isplayedwithagamepadintheshapeofaguitarwhichispluggeddirectlyintoa
console(PLAYSTATIONorotherequivalents)andthegoalistoreproducethe
notesandchordspresentedonthescreen.Moreover,thegameenthusiastschoose
theircharactersandperformindifferentvirtualconcerthalls.
ThedifferentguitarswhichactasgamepadsarereplicasoftheGibsonguitar
models.TousethesemodelsandtheGIBSONtrademarks,thecompany
responsibleforthemarketingofthegame,Activision(hereinafter”GuitarHero”)had
toobtainlicencerightsfromGibsonGuitarInc.(hereinafter”Gibson”).
Regardlessofthesegrantedrights,lastJanuary,intheUnitedStates,Gibson
allegedthatthemakingandmarketingofthevideogameGUITARHEROinfringes
oneofitspatentsissuedin1999.Assuch,GuitarHerowouldbecontraveningthe
rightsofGibsonbyexploitingarightthatisnotcoveredbythecontractual
relationshipbetweenthetwoparties.Consequently,GibsonprovidedGuitarHero
withaformalnoticeurgingGuitarHerotolegallyobtainthelicencerightsfor
exploitingthepatent.Ifthenoticewasnotcompliedwith,Gibsonwouldsummon
GuitarHerotoceaseallsalesofthevideogame.
Inresponsetothisformalnotice,GuitarHerodirectlyaddressedtheCourt(in
California)inordertoclaiminvalidationoftheGibsonpatent.Moreover,GuitarHero
claimedthatbyhavingwaitedmorethanthreeyearsafterthelicenceonother
aspectsofthegame(modelsandtrademarks)hadbeengranted,animplicitlicence
wasconferredbyGibsontoGuitarHeroforuseofthepatent.
Inturn,Gibsoninstitutedproceedingsagainstsomeofthemostimportantretailers
ofthevideogame,includingWAL-MART,TARGET,K-MARTandTOYS”R”US(to
nameonlyafew)allegingthattheseretailerssoldproductswhichviolatedtheir
patent.Gibsondidnotstopthere.ItalsofiledsuitagainstHarmonixwhichhad
©CIPS,2008.*WithLEGERROBICRICHARD,LLP.amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-
markAgents.PublishedintheSummer2008Newsletterofthefirm(Vol.12,No.2).Publication
068.091.
2
originallydevelopedthegameGUITARHEROandhadsolditsrightstoGuitarHero.
Thissuitiscurrentlybeingsettled.
3
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