No Doubt Sues Activision

Activision seems to be burning a few bridges these days. First the company pissed off Courtney Love by allowing you to play as Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero 5 and then use him to sing songs performed by other artists. Now they’ve gone ahead and pissed off No Doubt.

The band claims Activision has “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act,” with the bands appearance in Band Hero. As with Guitar hero 5, players can unlock the band characters and then use them to perform songs by other artists. For example you could have the virtual Gwen Stefani sing the Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women, a song about sleeping with prostitutes. Ya, not sitting well with the band.

“The band [members] are bitterly disappointed that their name and likeness was taken and used without their permission,” manager Jim Guerinot told the LA Times. “They agreed to play three No Doubt songs as a band…. Activision then went and put them in 62 other songs and broke the band up [and] never even asked.”

Activision claims the band signed off on Band Hero, allowing the company to use its likeness. “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.”

If Activision keeps this up they’ll run out of artists to put in future “Hero” titles.

[Via LA Times]