Konami, Viacom Settle Rock Band Suit 2

After several years of lawsuits and alleged patent violations, Konami and Viacom, parent company to Rock Band studio Harmonix, settled an extensive legal dispute over music game peripherals., according to court filings in Texas and Massachusetts. The companies said in a Texas District Court filing that they agreed to drop "all claims and counterclaims," putting an end to the legal struggles over the companies' music game properties, though the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, says GamePolitics. The dispute began in 2008, when Konami filed a lawsuit against Viacom and Harmonix, alleging that the Rock Band games violated patents held by the Japanese publisher for its Guitar Freaks and DrumMania franchises. Interestingly, Konami filed its original suit in 2008, three years after Harmonix launched the original Guitar Hero. Viacom and Harmonix responded in 2009, and sued Konami for its 2008 title Rock Revolution, alleging that the publisher's music game violated a patent held by Viacom. Since the legal troubles began, Viacom and Harmonix continued to release Rock Band titles including Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band, though Rock Revolution marks Konami's most recent foray into the peripheral based music game market.