Fast forward to this month, and the band is getting countersued by Activision, which is alleging a breach of contract and “unjust enrichment.” Apparently, the group only requested that their avatars be prevented from being used in songs by other bands until after the game wento to press:

“Activision admits that although it is possible to program a videogame whereby particular in-game characters can only be selected when certain songs are played, Plaintiff first requested this only after the “Band Hero” programming was finalized, had been submitted to all of the U.S. console manufacturers for approval and had been approved for manufacture by most console manufacturers”

Furthermore, Activision is after:

“… unspecified damages and interest, a return from No Doubt of all benefits and payments, an order for No Doubt to pay the full cost of this action and reasonable attorney fees, along with further awards and relief that the Court deems just and proper.”

I’m not sure who I want to lose this more: a diva band that has killed my ears with blandness for the last decade, or the inherently evil Activision.

[Hollywood Reporter, via GamePolitics]

No Doubt gets countersued by Activision is a post from: The Inquisitr

Californian band No Doubt appears in Band Hero, the latest entry in Activision’s long line of Hero videogames. However, all is not well in the land of licensed music videogame spin-offs.

TMZ reports that band members are unhappy about how their in-game avatars can be used to “sing, dance, and perform” any of the sixty songs in the game, only three of which are by No Doubt themselves. This, claims a lawsuit filed by the band against Activision, “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act.”

A particular sore point for the band is the fact that Gwen Stefani’s digital avatar can be used to sing about “having sex with prostitutes” in “Honky Tonk Woman” by the Rolling Stones … in a male voice. That said, Activision seems ready to fight its corner on this, according to a statement it just released:

“Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero – an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry [...] Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit.”

If you’re sat there thinking, “This totally reminds me of a very similar, recent story,” you may be thinking of Courtney Love’s promise to “sue the shit” out of Activision for its (admittedly tactless) use of Kurt Cobain’s image in Guitar Hero 5.

Personally I don’t get these claims made by artists. I mean, as if anybody actually looks at what’s going on in the background when playing these things. Seriously, I’m so bloody focused on those scrolling bars of colored dots during gameplay that there could be four pieces of human-sized broccoli playing the instruments and I’d be none the wiser.

[Via TMZ]

No Doubt suing Activision over ‘Band Hero’ appearance is a post from: The Inquisitr