Gibson to "vigorously defend its rights" against Activision over GHIII

Wow. And we thought they were BFFs. Not only is Gibson suing Activision over a patent related to Guitar Hero III, but it's undeterred by the fact the publisher's asked a court to block the action and has said, in no uncertain terms, that it intends to get mediaeval on its maggot-farming ass.

Gibson, based in Nashville, issued a statement today saying that it "intends to vigorously defend its rights and to pursue any rights it may have against Activision and any other persons."

What happened? Guitar Hero III ships with a controller based either on the Gibson Les Paul model guitar or on the Kramer Striker, which is also a Gibson brand, so it's not as if the companies didn't know what they were getting into.

Gibson's complaint is related to the fact Guitar Hero III replicates musical performance, allegedly in contradiction to one of its patents. The guitar-maker is seeking make Activision take out a license to make the game or stop all sales.

Lovers' tiffs are never pretty.