I can’t help but wonder why Kurt Cobain is so special, but Johnny Cash isn’t. In either case, an actual lawsuit has been struck up by Courtney Love, but not to have him removed from the game. Rather the issue here is that Cobain is playable for all of the songs in the game, not just the ones he sang in.
Love’s attorney aims to have Cobain locked so he can only be used for his songs. Activision was given the rights to use Cobain’s voice and likeness, but not unbridled rights to them. The depiction of having him play along “cartoon characters” is degenerative of his image apparently.
Love’s not the only one unhappy with this though. Former band mates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl have released a joint statement asking for the same thing. “Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better,” said the two in their statement.
Cobain Attorney Calls For Activision To Limit Musician’s Use in GH5 [Kotaku]
Activision: Courtney Love Signed Cobain Contract for Guitar Hero 5 UPDATE [Kotaku]