Guitar Hero is pretty much done for, as Activision discontinued the franchise a year and a half ago and isn’t looking to resurrect it anytime soon. However, some of the legal problems stemming from the series remain intact today, though one recently went in favor of the publisher.
The San Marino Tribune reported today that Axl Rose’s lawsuit against Activision has been thrown out of court, three years after it was initially filed. Rose filed the suit after Guns n’ Roses’ “Welcome To the Jungle” appeared as a playable song in Guitar Hero III, stating that the association, made through guitarist Slash (who also appears in the game) constituted both fraud and breach of contract.
The judge tossed the suit, stating that the statute of limitations had expired, and the breach of contract claim was also thrown out.
This follows other legal problems with the series, including a settlement with the band members of No Doubt, whose characters were used without their permission for other songs in Band Hero, and Courtney Love, who apparently did give permission to use Kurt Cobain in the game, despite what she said otherwise.
A suit involving Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, also used as a virtual character in Band Hero, is still pending.
