Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Ubisoft Sued For Patent Infringement In Rocksmith
Ubisoft's Innovative Rocksmith guitar technology may not be so innovative after all. Guitar Apprentice, a company that creates guitar tutorials, is accusing Ubisoft of patent infringement in its game Rocksmith for a musical instruction pertaining to users playing an instrument to audio signals.
The news comes courtesy of Patent Arcade (not to be confused with Penny Arcade). Ross Dannenberg of Patent Arcade reports that "the '896 patent was only filed in October 2010, claiming
priority to a provisional application file June 30, 2010, so I suspect
there is going to be a validity fight based on any prior art out there." Although Guitar Apprentice is a video-based tutorial that can be downloaded on a computer or purchased on a DVD, the method of learning by playing a real guitar along to finger placement is similar in design.
You can read all about USP patent 8,119,896 right here. Ubisoft is already facing Rocksmith-related lawsuits with Game Tank over gameplay technology and UK band Rocksmith for the name of the product. If anyone else has a lawsuit to file, now is the time.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
