Konami lodges patent suit against Harmonix, MTV over Rock Band
Konami has filed a lawsuit against Harmonix, MTV Networks, and their parent company Viacom alleging that Rock Band violates patents it filed in 2002 and 2003. In the suit, Konami seeks to block Harmonix from using its "inventions" – we're guessing guitar controllers here – and, in addition, is asking for cash compensation. Bloomberg reports that Viacom has not received a copy of the compaint and, as such, could not issue an official comment.
Having introduced GuitarFreaks – a music game utilizing guitar controllers – in Japanese arcades nearly a decade ago, Konami has been late to the guitar game party in the States, only recently announcing its own answer to Guitar Hero and Rock Band with Rock Revolution. We've contacted Konami for comment on the legal proceedings and will update when possible.
