After three years, the Band Hero dispute is finally over.
Renowned orator Martin Luther King Jr. once quipped that “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” He probably did not foresee the lengthy legal dispute between game publisher Activision and rock band No Doubt when he said that, but the two parties might be inclined to agree today. While neither one wanted to give many details, the long courtroom drama ended in a settlement between the two.
The agreement comes just shy of two weeks before the case would have gone to court. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that No Doubt had grounds to sue Activision based on its inclusion of a playable facsimile of vocalist Gwen Stefani without compensating the band. The judge scheduled a court date for October 15, in which No Doubt could levy Activision with accusations of breach of contract, fraud, and violation of publicity rights. At present, neither party has disclosed the terms of the settlement, but they also do not appear interested in pursuing the matter any further.
Given the waning popularity of the music/rhythm genre, it’s possible that both Activision and No Doubt realized their efforts could be better spent elsewhere. At this point, there’s not much money to be made from a three-year-old entry in a series that’s, for all intents and purposes, covered in spiderwebs.
Source: Associated Press
