Advertisement
Activision: Love "signed" Cobain deal News
PlayStation 2
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Wii
News
by
Robert Purchese
Activision has countered lawsuit threats made by Kurt Cobain's widow Courtney Love over Guitar Hero 5 by holding up a piece of paper with her signature on it.
"Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain's likeness as a fully playable character in Guitar Hero 5," Activision triumphantly told Kotaku.
Love threatened to "sue the s***" out of the GH5 publisher for allowing Kurt Cobain's character to be unlocked and played in combination with any song.
She's not alone in feeling the dead singer's memory has been diminished by this act, as surviving Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl issue a concerned joint statement.
"We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game," they said. "We urge Activision to do the right thing in 're-locking' Kurt's character so that this won't continue in the future.
"It's hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists' music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better."
Guitar Hero 5 goes on sale here today.
Advertisement
Are you excited about Guitar Hero 5 on PlayStation 3/Wii/Xbox 360?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Thanks!
Related Games
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Latest Features
Latest Videos
The EGTV Show: Pixie Lott at the GH5 launch [10] 15 September, 2009
Guitar Hero 5 - Skydive viral [1] 3 September, 2009
Latest News
-
Music games are "crap", says Bunnyman [71]
-
Activison predicts console-free future [117]
-
UK charts: Guitar Hero 5 beats Beatles [43]
-
EG rocks with Pixie Lott at GH5 launch [37]
-
Love to "sue the s***" out of Activision [101]
Latest Screenshots
17 July, 2009 [1]
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
Poster
|
optimusprym8
11/09/09 @ 09:34
+3
It's not like there's Jonas Brothers' tracks on there, what's the beef?
|
|
+11
I'm not being facetious but I do wonder if she was sober at the time. Besides that, I must admit that I jumped on the "She's a crack-groupie" bandwagon. But after seeing This (LMAO). I do think she has a point. I couldn't imagine Kurt Cobain happy about being depicted rapping in a videogame...
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/09/09 @ 10:37
|
|
MrNyarlathotep
11/09/09 @ 09:43
+4
Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do something. If you can't see how YEEEAAAAAH BOYYYYEEEEEE Kurt Cobain might be considered offensive to people who knew him in real life, don't expect to retain that licence for long.
Or find many people wanting to deal with you in future.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/09/09 @ 10:45
|
|
mcmonkeyplc
11/09/09 @ 09:47
0
What the hell is their problem? She signed the fucking piece of paper. Did she not read the contract? Thick bitch.
|
|
+1
Anyone who licences their or someone else's likeness to be used as a fully playable character in a guitar hero game can hardly complain that they use that likeness for a fully playable character in a guitar hero game.
I wonder how long before John Lennon is seen rapping? I couldn't imagine Kurt Cobain happy about being depicted rapping in a videogame... I could imagine Kurt Cobain being quite happy about it, he'd be over 40 now and would likely have read the contract himself and understand the terms being used, at worst he'd be a little confused about it all and tell us that we should learn how to play guitar instead. I couldn't imagine him being upset about someone using his likeness to play a rap song. |
|
Bigglesworth
11/09/09 @ 09:55
+3
Christ, that video is also a sterling example of why stupid generic avatars should stay the fuck out of proper games.
|
|
-1
Pff... shut up Krist and Dave... Kurt Cobain isn't the only artist to have written music that holds a lot of meaning to people all over the world. Would they be upset if John Lennon was rapping in a video game with cartoon characters?
EDIT: Probably should have read all the posts in here *looks a few comments above*
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/09/09 @ 10:57
|
|
+14
Surely the fault rests with her lawyers? They should have read the contract and spotted that signing it meant whoring out the cadaverous representation of the dead Cobain.
I don't think she'll be able to sue them, but I reckon that in future, rock stars are going to be a lot more careful about letting themselves get depicted in this sort of game. Although I can't wait to see Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin performing "Touch My Bum" by the Cheeky Girls. |
|
kangarootoo
11/09/09 @ 10:05
+1
Figured as much.
@MiniAmin That XBLive avatar in the vid you posted was more offensive to my eyes. |
|
keyboardmonkey
11/09/09 @ 10:05
+1
I'd hate to think this is a fluff story, that was just used to get GH5 more news coverage, especially on the week that The Beatles: Rock Band game was released ;-)
|
|
kangarootoo
11/09/09 @ 10:09
+2
"but I reckon that in future, rock stars are going to be a lot more careful about letting themselves get depicted in this sort of game."
Except the dead ones. I don't expect they will be very careful about anything... other than keeping the noise down. |
|
+1
Except the dead ones. I don't expect they will be very careful about anything... other than keeping the noise down.
I dunno - I mean, it's usually the estate of the dead guy who has the control over the rights. And if you start to tarnish said dead star's image and the fans lose interest, it's not like anyone in the estate the deceased has any talent? It's not like Ms Love has any talent left... I'd still like to see Michael Jackson doing Slayer's "Reign In Blood"... |
|
curtlikesmeat
11/09/09 @ 10:24
+1
I've enjoyed this malarky, from the activision "triumphantly" announcing to the YEAHHH BOOOII. Thanks all involved.
|
|
GreatUncleBaal
11/09/09 @ 10:27
+3
I guess the lesson would be to pay closer attention to the small print at the bottom than the line of zeroes at the top.
|
|
+1
I don't have a problem with Nirvana's music but Kurt Cobain was a massive junkie who was chronically depressed.
I will defend Activision from the point of vew that everything regarding what the character does in the game is communicated to the relevant people and written into the deal and is then approved so getting upset at this stage is a little redundent as if they didn't want it, it would not have happened. But like DB2K says. It is just a game. |
|
OldK1ngCole
11/09/09 @ 10:49
0
Think I'd agree that Kurt would be upset to see his likeness used in this way. When he was alive he was a man who tried to fight the machine on all fronts, in this instance Activision are the machine. Maybe the blame lies with Love with being a complete f**k head, maybe it lies with Activision who could of taken advantage of that fact. Personally I think if Love, Grohl, Novoselic & others really are this dissapointed in the way Activision have used his likeness maybe they should show a bit of compassion and agree some new terms of use.
|
|
youhavenomail
11/09/09 @ 10:55
+1
Imagine if the Bon Jovi lyric that Cobain is seen singing went 'Shot through the HEAD and you're to blame, you give Love a bad name'.
|
|
OldK1ngCole
11/09/09 @ 11:05
-2
Imagine if the Bon Jovi lyric that Cobain is seen singing went 'Shot through the HEAD and you're to blame, you give Love a bad name'.
NOT EVEN FUNNY |
|
+1
@OldK1ngCole
Agree to new terms of use? The game has actually been released so it's a bit late for that now, especially as Activision now theoretically have at least some customers who bought the game because you could play as Kurt Cobain. If Courtney Love wanted to return the money she had been given then they may have considered removing him but instead she was shouting about "suing the shit" out of them on twitter.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/09/09 @ 12:12
|
|
0
Just lock 'celebs' to their own music. I would've thought that'd be the deal for them anyway!"
Do you really think that Courtney would understand all the legal mumbo-jumbo written into a contract? And if she did (or got legal representation to 'dumb' it down for her) the cynic in me can't help but feel that she approved all of this and now there is a fan outcry, shes quickly trying to do a U-turn. |
|
OldK1ngCole
11/09/09 @ 11:29
0
@ sneetch
As Retroid has said in the post below yours Just lock 'celebs' to their own music. I would've thought that'd be the deal for them anyway! It really wouldn't be that difficult for them to patch the game. Like I say they can agree on new terms of use, the music and likeness still remain but the use of said likeness will change. Maybe Love will have to give something back to Activision who knows, but they should be able to find a happy medium I'm sure of it :) |
|
+3
@ Sneetch
Well you can make Johnny Cash rap to the Beastie Boys in Guitar Hero 5. Did they ask his estate, and why aren't they pissed off? I'm not sure there's that much wrong with this. Seeing as it's been done before. Or maybe it's just too soon after Kurt's death. I mean, you can unlock Michael Jackson in Ready 2 Rumble 2 and get another boxer to twat his face in. But he wasn't dead then. |
|
etherfiend
11/09/09 @ 11:39
0
So no dead musicians should ever be used then by that rationale? Or to take it an extreme further no songs by dead people should ever be played by avatars!
I agree with most comments here. It's just a game, so what if Kurt raps or whatever it isn't supposed to mimic reality. That would be Roadie Hero! (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1797440) |
|
IneptPercy
11/09/09 @ 11:45
+1
After playing a previous guitar hero games and seeing slash playing songs he didn't originally play... oh wait that doesn't matter.
Lets be honest the only person we could ask is Kurt and hes not here, so if it was signed they could do this then the blame is with the person who signed it. Another thought, would Nitvana be the legends they are now if he didn't shoot himself or would they just have faded like other rockbands of the time? |
|
+1
Obviously Ms Love and Cobain's estate didn't properly realise/understand the implications of what "fully playable" meant. Whether that was a lawyer's fault for not explaining it properly, their fault for not interrogating the contract deeply enough or everyone's fault for not "getting" videogames.
Either way, if that's what the contract says, they signed it! Unless they want to admit to not being clued-up enough to what they were signing, in which case they could argue it wasn't explained to them properly... Anyway, I don't care, don't even like guitar music :) |
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
