No Doubt Going to Trial With ‘Band Hero’ Makers Activision

It has been a while since we’ve heard new music from No Doubt, but we’re pretty sure that Gwen Stefani hasn’t done a version of the Rolling Stones‘ ‘Honky Tonk Woman.’ That seems to be the issue at hand as No Doubt are heading toward a jury trial with Activision over the misappropriation of their images for the ‘Band Hero’ video game.

The group first filed suit against Activision in 2009, claiming that they were misled on how their likenesses would be incorporated into the game. The band members were unhappy when they learned that they would be unlockable avatars and that their characters would be able to sing songs outside of the No Doubt catalog.

Within the game itself, Stefani was able to sing songs from other acts, while the player could also make bassist Tony Kanal sing ‘Just a Girl’ with Stefani’s voice. Upset over their incorporation within the game, the band cited their portrayal as “a virtual karaoke act” within the lawsuit they filed.

Attorneys for the game publisher denied the band’s charges and stated that the “unadvertised” feature was to be expected and had been part of other music-based band games since their inception. The case already went through the Superior Court in Los Angeles, and the judge ruled that No Doubt had a right to have their plea heard before a jury.

The case is expected to go to trial later in 2012. No Doubt are expected to return with new music in September, having spent much of the last year in the studio recording their first album since reuniting.