Did anybody else wonder if it was legal when Rock Band came out and virtually ripped off the entire concept of Guitar Hero? Did anybody wonder if there was any patents involved or if it was free reign to make these types of games for any company. Well, Japanese game publisher Konami wondered about that, and as a result, filed suit against MTV-owned Harmonix Music Systems, the makers of “Rock Band,” for allegedly violating three patents relating to music games.

In its court filings, Konami provided copies of the three patents that include schematics of guitar and drum video game controllers and language about music-based games. Konami alleges that Harmonix infringed on these patents in a “willful and deliberate manner” and is seeking damages.

MTV’s Harmonix claims the lawsuit is baseless and claims that they are being targeted simply due to the success of the game. Konami and Harmonix have worked together in the past on five versions of a game called “Karaoke Revolution” between 2003-6.  This timeframe overlaps with the release of Guitar Hero in 2005.

Photo courtesy of weeklygeekshow.com