The Romantics new wave band is unhappy about the use of a cover version of one of their rock songs that is featured in the video game 'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'.

The band 'The Romantics' has filed a lawsuit in Detroit against Activision for the way in which they have produced a cover song version of the hit 'What I Like About You'.

This does not appear to be a copyright issue, as Activision seemingly secured approval for the use of the song 'What I Like About You' as a cover version. It looks as if Activision went through the correct channels in order to receive the necessary permission. In addition, Activision games are marked with a label stating that they feature songs that are "made popular by …..", letting users know that the vocals included in the game are not by the original artists.

However, this seemingly, was not enough for The Romantics band. They are claiming that the imitation song used in the game version is too similar to the original and therefore infringes on their rights.

The band who were formed in the late 1970s, still perform today and claim in their lawsuit that it is difficult to distinguish the copy included in the video game from the original version of the song. The band maintains that therefore some fans may believe that it is actually The Romantics band that appears on the 'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s' game.

They basically seem to be objecting that it is too good an imitation. It appears that they want to share in the income from this game.

The band is seeking unspecified damages and if the lawsuit proves to be successful, then the game 'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s' could be withdrawn from the shelves.