No Doubt take legal action against their 'Band Hero' characters

No Doubt are taking legal action against the creators of 'Band Hero' in a bid to have their likenesses removed from the game.

Having signed a deal with Activision to feature as characters, the band say that the manufacturers reportedly failed to stick to their agreement.

Originally due to be singing three No Doubt songs in the game, the band have now filed a lawsuit against the company as the game allows the digital stars to sing, dance and perform over sixty songs.

The band are particularly incensed that singer Gwen Stefani's character can sing in a male voice for renditions of tracks like Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' and The Rolling Stones' 'Honky Tonk Woman'.

The court documents state: "While No Doubt are avid fans of The Rolling Stones and even have performed in concerts with The Rolling Stones, the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorised performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice choir boasting about having sex with prostitutes."

No Doubt are now seeking to withdraw their endorsement of the game and are requesting an injunction prohibiting unauthorised use of the band's name and likenesses in the game.

As previously reported, this isn't the first time Activision has caused controversy. In September the company's latest 'Guitar Hero' game featured Nirvana's Kurt Cobain performing songs by other artists.

nme.com 05/11/09