Gibson Guitar Corp has settled its patent suit against Viacom and Electronic Arts over Rock Band filed in 2008. Gibson alleged at the time that Viacom and EA’s Rock Band games violated a patent related to “using a musical instrument to take part in a simulated concert.”
This road has been traveled before, with Gibson having previously sued Activision for the same issues relating to Guitar Hero. That case began when Gibson attempted to get Activision to license their patent, and led to a suit and a countersuit, both which were dismissed following a settlement in April 2009.
The companies told the judge that they had “reached a full settlement” on June 4 and look to move for dismissal of the case by June 14. Terms of the settlement have not been released, and Bloomberg was unable to meet any of the parties for comment.
Gibson retains patent infringement complaints against retailers who stocked both games, including Target, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.
