Activision Screws Up Again with Guitar Hero Franchise

Activision is currently being sued by ska/rock band No Doubt over the use of virtual avatars in their image for Band Hero. The latest installment of the Guitar Hero franchise allows players to use digital representations of the band on more than just the three No Doubt songs they gave permissions for. Instead, it’s available to use them for every song in the game.

For example, you can have Gwen Stefani’s avatar singing “Honky Tonk Woman,” sounding and dancing like Mick Jagger. This supposedly goes against the contract the band signed. Activision is denying any wrongdoing on their part.

I personally believe that Activision is up to something here. This is the second time this issue has come up in their music games. The last one, Guitar Hero 5, allowed gamers to play songs by groups like Bon Jovi as Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain. The image of a digital Cobain dancing around like he’s at a hippie rave enraged his wife, his fans, and his former band members. It appears that Activision’s concern about the artist’s integrity and image is minimal to almost nonexistent. They also took down all the YouTube videos of Kurt Cobain singing Bon Jovi in Guitar Hero. The only videos left are him singing Nirvana songs. Looks like Activision is trying to cover their tracks. Too bad it's been on YouTube for months.

Do you think this is a non-issue or an important problem in artists' rights? Comment below!