Guitar Hero developer RedOctane is suing The Ant Commandos over its line of Guitar Mania guitar-controllers.
Claiming numerous offenses from unfair and deceptive trade practices, to false advertisement and trademark infringement, RedOctane and its parent company Activision have asked a judge to force The Ant Commandos to discontinue production and sales of their Guitar Mania line of controllers. Lawyers for RedOctane, formerly sued by Konami for infringing on the Dance Dance Revoltuion brand before reestablishing their identity with the widely praised Guitar Hero, claim the Guitar Mania makers “have copied the packaging of Plaintiffs’ products and have used Plaintiffs’ trademarks and copyrighted material in its packaging and advertising of its own products in an effort to cause confusion among consumers.” (courtesy of Gamespot)
The Guitar Mania controllers have received mixed reviews, and are criticized by Red Octane and most reviewers for not implementing “Star Power” properly, normally achieved by tilting the guitar neck up. Despite the issue, the Ant Commando controllers have proved popular for providing wireless play with Guitar Hero.
