Dear Gibson: Stick your lawsuit where the sun don't shine, says Harmonix

Guitar Hero developer Harmonix has responded to Gibson's move to sue EA over Rock Band last night, by saying, in a nutshell, that it's not going to be taking the guitar manufacturer seriously any time soon.

"It is unfortunate that Gibson unfairly desires to share in the tremendous success enjoyed by the developers of Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This lawsuit is completely without merit and we intend to defend it vigorously," the company said. "Gibson's patent, filed nearly 10 years ago, required a 3D display, a real musical instrument and a recording of a concert. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are completely different: among other things they are games, require no headset and use a controller only shaped like a real instrument."

Gibson is suing Harmonix, Viacom and EA for patent infringement over simulated musical performances. Expect this to get a whole lot nastier yet.