onami is suing Harmonix over a series of game-related patents, according to a report by Bloomberg news. Konami says Rock Band violates these patents, and is seeking compensation and an order that would “block Viacom and Harmonix from using the inventions.”

Konami was a pioneer in the music-game genre, including its GuitarFreaks and DrumMania games, which were available years before Guitar Hero was released. Konami is returning to the genre with its upcoming Rock Revolution game, which allows players to perform songs on guitar and drum peripherals. Interestingly, when the company sought to bring karaoke games to home consoles, it turned to Harmonix. Karaoke Revolution was the fruit of that relationship.

We’ll keep you posted on the suit.