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Is it just me, or does this not make good sense?
I know there have been a lot of discussions about whether or not Guitar Hero promotes playing the guitar, but I have to believe it at least generates some interest.

Is Gibson just upset because they didn't think of it first?
- Frank B.
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Gibson sues MTV, EA over ‘Guitar Hero’
Guitar maker says the video game series violates a 1999 patent

updated 4:44 p.m. ET, Fri., March. 21, 2008
NEW YORK - Gibson Guitar said on Friday that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Viacom Inc.'s MTV networks and Harmonix as well as Electronic Arts related to the wildly popular "Guitar Hero" video games.

The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Tennessee, relates to the same patent involved in another suit Gibson filed earlier against various retailers, the Tennessee-based guitar maker said in a statement.

The "Guitar Hero" series has sold more than 14 million units in North America and raked in more than $1 billion since its 2005 debut.

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One thing that's funny about that is that the game features Slash as a character you battle against, and Slash is a major Gibson artist. It almost amounts to a Gibson advertisement in the game if you know he plays Les Pauls...but since a lot of the people playing it are under guitar-buying age and don't remember when Guns N' Roses were so big, I suspect a lot of them miss that. Anyway, does Gibson think that having Les Paul players in the game will make kids LESS interested in Gibsons? Pre-teens are not the guitar buyers of the world, but...something doesn't jive here...

My nephew plays this game, and I think, "if you logged as many hours on a real instrument as you do on this, you could be somebody." But he's 11, he's not on some quest for self-actualization or what it all means. I have to remind myself to let kids be kids. It's still annoying that they lord it over you when they beat you at the game. Every time I see him, my nephew tells me about another song he beat at such-and-such a difficulty level, and he wouldn't know where to find the first note on a real guitar. Actually playing the real guitar makes you worse at Guitar Hero, and spending a lot of time playing Guitar Hero is probably the best way there is not to improve at playing the real guitar.

However, I did want to pick one up after seeing my nephew play the game, just so I could beat him at something, and I will at least commend the programmers for including some good songs later in the game; there are some good old rockers on there as you advance and I can't knock the game for that. That's probably the best thing about Guitar Hero, is that it exposes my 11-year-old nephew to music from the '70s and '80s that I think is good, which he otherwise would never listen to, and he finds he likes it too, so at least now we can talk about some of the same songs.

Good luck to Gibson and I hope that all other
manufacturers of music instruments do the same.
You will one day have an overpopulated planet on
which most people sit in containers playing with
digital toys and this Guitar Hero is just one
more
example of digital stupidity.Working,saving and
buying a real instrument then taking the time and
trouble to learn to play it is the only thing
which makes any sense and if nothing comes of it
at least one has tried and can look for another
hobby or form of expression which helps to keep
real craftsmen in work and gives younger people
something other to do than waste time and money
on such nonsense ! MTV should not only be sued
but banned as well.Thay promote a meaningless
and degenerate lifestyle which irresponisble
parents not only pay for but ignore due to the
irresponisble and degenerate lifestyles they
themselves lead ! I was and still am a
professional musician and without name-dropping
can assure you that I have worked with some of
the best rock musicians in the last thirty years.
Ninety-odd percent of people making money out of
the music industry are doing so under false
pretenses.These include everyone from the
incompetent posers you call rock stars to the
slime who promote,produce,and sell the trash.
IF you have listened to and understood Frank
Zappa you will know what I mean and if you have
not,then it is your loss and that of future
generations. And dont talk about the great rock
musicians who shamefully allow themseves to be a part
of all this because if it was'nt for lible laws I
could tell you many true facts about other ways
in which they make money but like MTV they would
no doubt 'Decline to Comment' Good luck Gibson !
JIM SLOANE

I think you are a bit over the top. Guitar Hero an entertaining, fun past time and not a substitute to playing a real instrument at all. If people want to learn a real instrument they will do so. It's just a silly video game, god. *Frustrated*

Just one more silly video game
Just a few more wasted hours in front of a screen
Just a few more dollars in the pockets of people
like MTV which is
Just another silly T.V.show so I suppose it's
Just another step down the road to a silly world.
So everythings fine then but watch MTV and say it's
Just another silly show ?
I wish Gibson (not Mel-he wants locking-up)
all the best and hope they hurt MTV badly.
G'Day
JIM SLOANE

Man, what is it with the demeanor of folks that like to set their line lengths to 40?

Anyway, if Gibson wins the suit then the only thing that's going to happen is the exchange of monies. There will be no victory for acoustic instruments nor weakening of the population playing GH or any other video game for that matter. The only thing that will come from a Gibson victory is the continued use of patents as lottery tickets.

My personal opinion:

I'm a 16 year old kid, and yes I play Guitar Hero (GH). I own two of the games that are out and thoroughly enjoy playing them. I think that GH however has created large controversy between people who think that playing GH and an actual guitar are the same thing. They AREN'T. I personally thoroughly enjoy playing GH but have no real desire to pick up a guitar and start playing.

What's next?
NASCAR suing Grand Turismo and Need For Speed?
The Armed Forces suing 007 Games?
Criminals Suing Grand Theft Auto?

Some people need to realize the difference between a video game and the real world...

Your missing the point. Gibson has a patent on a controller for simulating the playing of an instrument (guitar in this case) and they are suing for patent infringement. Your examples are completely unrelated, unless NASCAR can claim that they have some type of patent for simulating some aspect of how a car works that GT or NFS seem to be violating. This isn't about "you can't make a game that uses something that looks like a guitar because we just happen to make guitars".

I had some issues, the page wouldn't come up, but IF they have that copyright then by all means sue GH. But as stated by bitWrangler all that will happen is a change of money and possibly future royalty fees. GH will still be made, and people will still play it.

Hopefully this doesn't turn into a pointless lawsuit (if it isn't seen by some as one already)

I was hoping to find my copy of Guitar Hero to confirm, but from memory, isn't Gibson mentioned repeatedly throughout the game? I know Guitar Center is heavily featured (read: advertised). I would wager they had some deal in place prior to the game being released. Considering the number of units sold, this just sounds like a grab for a bigger portion of the profits.

It seems to me that if Gibson owns the patent, then they have the right to sew. That is basically what a patent is. If you don't take people to court to assert your rights, the rights are worthless.

Much as I would like to see Guitar Hero eradicated from face the planet, I expect Gibson would readily settle for a piece of the action. That is they settle by licensing the patent for a negotiated fee and everyone still makes money.

But Gibson is a business. If they get some more money and plow it back into making more SG's and Les Paul's at reasonable prices for yours truly, I will be one very happy camper!