According to a story on GameSpot, Guitar Hero publisher Activision and peripheral developer The Ant Commandos are going back to court. While the original dispute was settled late last year, this new case–filed in late January 2007–involves a lot more than simple copyright infringement.
The charges against Ant Commandos include misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information, breach of contract, interference with contractual relations, and copyright/trademark infringement. The case seems to be much more serious than the previous filing: in fact, three RedOctane employees have been named as defendants for Ant Commandos.
Executive Producer John Tam, Brand Manager Corey Fung, and Hardware Group Manager Jamie Yang have allegedly been working with Ant Commandos on a new project demo incorporating elements of Guitar Hero with PC freebie StepMania. A restraining order brought about by Activision will prevent its distribution until the accused can prove that the game was developed without the involvement of Tam, Fung, and Yang.
The restraining order also prevents Ant Commandos from producing or distributing products for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II until three months after the game’s release in March. The RedOctane employees will also be held accountable for any knowledge of Activision trade secrets they may have used or disclosed in their relationship with Ant Commandos.
Harmonix, developer of both Guitar Hero games, is not named in the lawsuit.
