Guitar Hero and Gibson Squabble

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  kjphillips03/31/08 Report as spam
  1

  They didn't figure this out til now?

  It took them 3 years to figure out that this was an infringement on their patent rights? Oh, COME ON!!

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  Fiesty103/31/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Guitar Hero and Gibson Squabble

  My 61 year old husband and avid quitar player in his youth and a long time band member, loves guitar hero and his gibson guitar. Also, my 14 year old grandson is a newly budding guitar player and a member of the "guitar hero" crowd.
  
  Does Gibson want to sour the younger generation, so when they go to purchase a guitar they look at other brands?

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  TheresaZ03/31/08 Report as spam
  3

  Patent Inringement?

  It's my understanding that a general patent cannot be granted for "technology" to simulate a musical performance. Patents are always granted for a specific methodology. You can't patent an idea alone.
  
  From the description given, it's not at all clear to me that this is an infringement on Activision's part. Even if it were, it would be difficult to prove their case, since Gibson was involved in the development of the game and never brought this issue forward until now. A patent gives one a legal right to control and profit from the distribution of one's work. But the task of monitoring and safe-guarding one's patents still falls to the holder.
  
  It is possible to beat a patent, by proving that the patent holder has knowingly allowed the infringement or by proving that the alleged infringer used a different methodology to produce the result. Of course, if the result can be proven to be different in itself...
  
  Whatever the decision in a patent infringement suit, Gibson loses in the public eye.

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  blah696903/31/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Guitar Hero and Gibson Squabble

  I hope this is Gibson's swan song litigation. They've been doing this for years in a vain attempt to profit by litigation. They're also rans, totally out of touch. Their good guitars are priced WAAAAY out of the reach of the working musician and their 'middle of the road' guits flat out suck. ('faded' series, can't stay in tune, **** hardware and pickups) Somebody savvy should come along and buy this flailing flounder and turn things around.

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  icmcl04/01/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: Guitar Hero and Gibson Squabble

  I went to the Gibson factory in Nashville last year, specifically to see the factory production line and to buy a factory sourced Les Paul. Gibson were happy to take my money for a factory tour - although ALL the guitar making workforce were on vacation, so production was stopped. Then I went into their factory showroom and inspite of a room full of guitars, none of the 4 sales persons could be bothered to even give me the price on ANY guitar - so I took my hard earned bucks elsewhere. If Gibson can't even take money from consumers standing in their premises, but waste their dollars on lawsuits against Activision, then I guess they won't last much longer in business. Come on Gibson - grow up and do what you do best - make great guitars and ACTUALLY SELL THEM to the budding "Guitar Heroes"!!