The Romantics File Suit Against Guitar Hero

The Romantics, a Detroit rock band made famous for their hit, "What I Like About You," is suing the publisher of the popular video game Guitar Hero, according to a report by USA Today. The band claims that the game infringes on their rights by featuring a sound-alike recording of their hit song.

The lawsuit filed against Activision, which is based in California, seeks unspecified damages for use of the sound-alike recording featured on Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, released in July for Sony PlayStation sets. The Romantics are also seeking an injunction, which could take the game off shelves in the midst of the holiday shopping season.

Activision's line of video games under the name Guitar Hero is a bestseller, in which users play along to popular songs on a guitar-shaped controller. The line, which has featured several original band recordings and cover versions of songs, has been an award-winning video game series since its debut in 2005.

The band is not suing over copyright issues, but finds that Activision properly secured permission to use their song. Activision then recorded a cover version. The Romantics claim that by creating an imitation so similar to their original, the company infringed on their right to its own image and likeness.

William Horton, an attorney for the Romantics, said that Activision should have obtained a master license for the original 1980 recording and then paid royalties appropriately.

Activision did not return requests for comment.