2013.02.08 - San Marino Tribune - Judge Dismisses Axl Rose’s Lawsuit

Judge Dismisses Axl Rose’s Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A judge has dismissed what remained of Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose’s lawsuit alleging Activision Blizzard Inc. broke a promise not to use images of ex-bandmate Slash or songs by the guitarist’s new band in the “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” video game.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer heard more than two hours of arguments concerning the lawsuit’s contract claims before taking the case under submission on Jan. 31. On Thursday, he affirmed his tentative ruling and tossed out the remaining causes of action.

Last August Palmer threw out Rose’s fraud and misrepresentation claims because they were filed too late, but spared the contract causes of action. Activision lawyers subsequently filed another dismissal motion and this time Palmer agreed the contract claims also should be dismissed.

Rose lawyer Geoffrey Neri said during the Jan. 31 hearing that the singer agreed to allow the use of “Welcome to the Jungle” in the video game only if no images of the old GNR lineup or of Slash’s subsequent band, Velvet Revolver, were used.

Rose’s court papers described ”Welcome to the Jungle” as a “highly renowned rock song of immense popularity regarded by fans and critics alike as one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time.”

Rose, who has feuded with his former GNR bandmates for years, maintained he never approved of using Slash’s image in the video game featuring the song. He expressed his objections through his lawyers during production, but Activision went forward anyway, according to his court papers.

“Guitar Hero III” has generated significantly more than $1 billion for Activision, according to the singer’s lawsuit, filed in November 2010.

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