You may recall that late last year the band No Doubt sued publisher Activision for using the band's likenesses in the game Band Hero. Activision then countersued the band, claiming that No Doubt failed to research how various in-game avatars are used in the Guitar Hero series, and failed to promote the game properly as is required by their contract. The publisher also said the band has unjustly benefited from their inclusion in the game.
With the Infinity Ward mess making Activision Blizzard look bad, it's not like the company needed more disappointing news, but that's precisely what it got today as a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge issued a tentative ruling that rejects Activision's attempt to use freedom-of-speech protections in its use of No Doubt avatars, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Activision does have the right to appeal Judge Kenji Machida's ruling, and we have a feeling the publisher will do so.
