Gibson Claims Patent Infringement

Gibson Guitar Corp. recently filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee alleging that Seven45 Studios’ video game “Power Gig: Rise of the SixString,” infringes Gibson’s concert simulation patent.  Gibson filed its complaint against 745 LLC (d/b/a Seven45 Studios) asserting “Power Gig” violates its U.S. Patent Number 5,990,405, titled “System and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience.”  The claims center on “Power Gig” and its related components, which includes a guitar-style controller.  Gibson is claiming that the game, in conjunction with a gaming console (Sony’s Playstation 2 and Microsift’s Xbox 360), contains elements that infringed its rights under the ‘405 patent.  In addition to a claim for direct infringement, Gibson alleges contributory patent infringement and inducement of infringement.  Gibson is seeking a preliminarily and permanently injunction, treble damages and attorneys’ fees.