Intellectual Property Analysis of Simulated Musical Concert Experience Patent Referenced in Gibson Guitar Company v. Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., MTV Networks, and Electronic Arts, Inc. Lawsuit

Report Document

Report: 

Full Report

This week’s Patently Obvious report focuses on U.S. Patent No. 5,990,405 which the Gibson Guitar Company claimed in a March 20, 2008 lawsuit that Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., MTV Networks, and Electronic Arts, Inc. infringed upon. On June 8, 2010, Gibson settled its patent infringement claims against Harmonix, Viacom, Electronic Arts, and other retailers. The terms of this settlement were undisclosed, but it can be presumed that each of the defendants paid a licensing fee in the process.

This report focuses on patents of interest which predate and are concurrent to the Gibson Guitar Company patent, including public-domain alternatives.

The patent named in the lawsuit describes a system and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience such as a video game.