It looks like Activision might start screening their phone calls, as No Doubt is now suing Activision and seeking damages for their portrayal in Band Hero.
Much like the Cobain controversy Courtney Love slurred at Guitar Hero 5, the group says they gave consent for their avatars to perform three of their own songs, but instead wind up performing more than 60 throughout the course of the game, all without their knowledge or approval. They say that underneath it all, it makes them look like “virtual karaoke players.”
Further upsetting the group is that the game allows the individual band members to be “isolated into solo performances of these cover songs and placed randomly in countless variations.”
No Doubt says this goes against the contract they signed to license their likeness in Band Hero, and that Activision refused to change the appearances made beyond the agreed-upon songs, as doing so would be “too expensive.”
No Doubt now seeks an injunction and damages, but Activision seems to believe they are in the right, issuing the following statement:
Some of the world’s most popular and iconic artists have been featured in Guitar Hero as playable characters, and we are proud to count No Doubt among them. Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero – an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry. Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band’s management in developing Band Hero. As a result, Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit. Activision is exploring its own legal options with respect to No Doubt’s obligations under the agreement.
It’s easy enough to write off one incident, especially in Love’s case, as something of a fluke incident. But then you get to two, and you start to wonder if something is really amiss.
Activision had better be careful; they don’t want to tick off too many artists and groups, or else the rest might start to keep their distance. Then where will they be?
