THQ Sued Over Use of Song in SmackDown! Without Authorization

A New York musician, Michael Tumbarello is seeking $12 million in damages for the alleged use of his song, King of the Mat" in THQ's SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 game. Among other claims, Tumbarello is seeking $3M each for copyright infringement, misappropriation of property and violation of New York civil rights law. 

Dale's Comment: The clearing of rights to all intellectual property content is a critical and daunting task for all video game developers. This case shows the importance of this too frequently overlooked issue. 

Sources: GameSpot | Yahoo! Games

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