It took them a little while but Activision, the makers of Guitar Hero 5, have responded to the allegations that their use of Kurt Cobain's likeness was unwarranted. In a statement, Guitar Hero CEO Dan Rosensweig said that the use of Cobain is completely legal.
In an interview with NME, Rosensweig said, "I do know that there's absolutely a contract and we know that the cheque has been cashed... I can only deal with the facts. It's very clear what the terms are."
He added: "We care about the artists more than anyone else and we would like to make artists happy in every circumstance. I'm disappointed in this case that there seems to be confusion between the band and the estate... I can't speak for everybody being happy, [but] it gets done with complete consent from artists. These are the artists who fans love. We hope over time that the estate will appreciate that."
Courtney Love, however, continues to dispute these claims. On her bat-shit crazy Twitter, she wrote: "Call me and tell me what cheque and for how much. You liquidate Kurt and you tell me I've cashed a cheque? We didn't get a cent... Now Mr Activision if you want to fix that I'd very much appreciate it. You've humiliated me and my daughter. People think we did Guitar Hero 5 for money when in fact we got not one cent. My understanding was you would pay me personally as I stated."
In other words, it seems as if this battle is going to be around until Rosensweig sits Love down and points out exactly what she signed and where. Until then, expect a lot more complaining.
In an interview with NME, Rosensweig said, "I do know that there's absolutely a contract and we know that the cheque has been cashed... I can only deal with the facts. It's very clear what the terms are."
He added: "We care about the artists more than anyone else and we would like to make artists happy in every circumstance. I'm disappointed in this case that there seems to be confusion between the band and the estate... I can't speak for everybody being happy, [but] it gets done with complete consent from artists. These are the artists who fans love. We hope over time that the estate will appreciate that."
Courtney Love, however, continues to dispute these claims. On her bat-shit crazy Twitter, she wrote: "Call me and tell me what cheque and for how much. You liquidate Kurt and you tell me I've cashed a cheque? We didn't get a cent... Now Mr Activision if you want to fix that I'd very much appreciate it. You've humiliated me and my daughter. People think we did Guitar Hero 5 for money when in fact we got not one cent. My understanding was you would pay me personally as I stated."
In other words, it seems as if this battle is going to be around until Rosensweig sits Love down and points out exactly what she signed and where. Until then, expect a lot more complaining.
