According to a report on Billboard, members of American rock band The Romantics are suing Activision over the usage of its song "What I Like About You" in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s.
The suit states the game uses a version of the song that sounds too much like the original band… seriously?
The suit "claims that the sound-alike recording of the song improperly imitates the band’s sound, which the members have developed since 1979."
The band members want the court to prevent further distribution of the game and, of course, want a share of the profit. Activision was questioned about the incident but they haven’t replied.
Being in a band myself, while I do see where the lawsuit is coming from, I have to say that it’s pretty preposterous. While I care about the music I play, I think suing a company over a cover song is a bit much. Isn’t that what a cover song is supposed to be?
