NEWS – Axl Rose Files £13.3m Lawsuit Against Guitar Hero III

Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for allegedly violating a contract that stated their 1987 track Welcome to the Jungle could be used in the game if there is no reference to former guitarist Slash, who left the band in the mid-1990s. The claim, which was filed for a reported £13.3m, was the result of an animated image of Slash appearing on the cover.

According to Yahoo News, the lawsuit says: “(Activision Blizzard) began spinning a web of lies and deception to conceal its true intentions to not only feature Slash and VR (Velvet Revolver) prominently in GH III, but also promote the game by emphasising and reinforcing an association between Slash and Guns N’ Roses and the band’s song Welcome to the Jungle.”

Skip Miller, Rose’s lawyer, stated; “This lawsuit is about protecting Guns N’ Roses and Welcome to the Jungle, and is about holding Activision accountable for its misuse of these incredibly valuable assets. The relief we are seeking is disgorgement of profits and compensatory and punitive damages.”

In December 2008, Rose criticised Activision for using both Welcome to the Jungle and Sweet Child O’ Mine (both originally released on their debut album Appetite for Destruction) in the original Guitar Hero without permission.