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Activision and Gibson lawsuit settled

Settlement came last week, all claims from both parties officially dismissed

Guitar Hero publisher Activision and instrument manufacturer Gibson have reached an out of court settlement over patent infringement claims.

According to a report by Gamasutra, a settlement was reached last week, and on April 17 a California District Court judge dismissed all of Activision's claims and Gibson's counterclaims.

Legal battles over the possible infringement began in March of last year, when Gibson alleged that Activision's Guitar Hero videogame series and instrument peripherals violated its 1999 "System and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience" patent.

That claim was dismissed by a California US District Court last month, and Activision immediately filed suit against Gibson for a declaratory judgment, asking the court to declare that Gibson's patent was invalid and that the Guitar Hero franchise did not violate it. These claims were dismissed after last week's settlement.

In 2007, prior to these accusations, Activision signed an exclusive partnership with Gibson to feature the manufacturer's guitars in the franchise's then-upcoming Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Gibson guitars do not appear in the franchise's current titles.