Adam Levine, Maroon 5’s lead singer, obviously did not like the way he was portrayed in Activision’s title Band Hero. The 2009 game featured Levine’s avatar, and according to Levine, he was unaware his avatar would be used to sing other songs. This frustration has lead to the frontman suing Activision
Levine is also upset that other artist were asked to have their avatars used in the game and received higher pay for the rights. The lawsuit filed is seeking unspecified damages for breach of contract, fraudulent inducement, violation of common-law right of publicity, and unfair business acts or practices.
Activision has faced other scrutiny for using artist in their music games. Kurt Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, disapproved of her deceased husband’s image in Band Hero, though she did not pursue legal action. The band No Doubt took a similar action to Levine, filing a lawsuit for numerous damages.
