Report filed by Rakan Stanbouly
Axl Rose’s $20 million case against Activision will be heading to court in the near future, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Having originally filed the lawsuit for fraud and breach-of-contract back in 2010, the Guns n’ Roses eternal frontman alleges Activision was misusing the Gun ‘N Roses songs and imagery. The court originally dismissed the fraud claims, but the $20 million breach of contract will be moving onto court early next year.
Rose claims that he was “fraudulently induced” into licensing the use of the song “Welcome to the Jungle”, along with the promise that neither Slash nor his band Velvet Revolver would have an appearance anywhere through Guitar Hero III. Upon release, Slash not only appeared on the cover of the game, but also provided an original track as part of his featured boss battle. Activision, however, believes that this lawsuit was filed too late, as the game was released in October of 2007, a little over three years prior to Rose’s initial filing, which they believe should be out of the statute of limitations.
According to Rose, the reason for the late filing was “because Activision, through my managers and representatives, offered me a separate video game and other business proposals worth millions of dollars to resolve and settle my claims relating to Guitar Hero III. From December 2007 through November 2010, Activision was offering me a Guns ‘N Roses dedicated video game, a game dedicated to music from the “Chinese Democracy” album and other proposals.”
Many emails were reportedly sent to Activision by Seth Miller, Axl Rose’s attorney, objecting to Slash being included in Guitar Hero III. Activision still released the title, stating that “Rose had no authority to enter into a license for “Welcome to the Jungle” in his individual capacity because he does not own the song or the sound recording,” along with the belief that there is no basis for the breach-of-contract since Rose shouldn’t of been able to make the deal either way. The trial will be held in February of 2013.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)