Last year, Gibson Guitar Inc. filed a suit against Activision's Guitar Hero for allegedly violating patent rights. About a year later today, a U.S. District Court in the Central District of California has finally given out its decision, holding that the music game franchise does not infringe on a 1999 Gibson patent, which simulates musical performance using a 3D headset display and stereo speakers. Read more in the full article.

Said to be the hardest song to play on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS3, 360, Wii, PC), the heavy-metal shredder "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce was no song for the average gamer. 14 year old Danny Johnson from Grapevine, Texas set a new world record in that very song during at a media event sponsored by the Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition. More in the full article.

Finally, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 3) broke past the US$ 1Billion sales mark, and in the process became the first single game ever to sell that much, since its launch in 200. This was confirmed by Activision's CEO, Mike Griffith, at the CES keynote in Las Vegas on Friday.

Guitar Center, the world's largest musical instrument retailer recently announced the findings of their national survey. The survey shows that popular music titles Rock Band and Guitar Hero increase gamer interest to own and play actual instruments, instead of just the gaming peripherals. More details after the jump.

Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar...not? With their Dark Horse tour coming up, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger points out that there aren't many bands out there nowadays. So he's calling out to kids to "set down the Guitar Hero, learn how to play an actual guitar, and start a band."

Apparently, not all of us want to be a rockstar.

US Troops are once again preparing for battle. The battleground? Lounges and TV screens. Activision, together with the United Service Organizations, is giving the troops something to smile about this holiday season. Read more in the full article

The Guitar Hero franchise is definitely one of the biggest empires in the games industry today. The series has been around for quite some time now and has been released across so many platforms in its various installments. To now hear that Guitar Hero has outsold Rock Band by a 6-to-1 ratio doesn't sound all that surprising.

It was announced on the official Metallica website that all the songs on their upcoming album, Death Magnetic, will be available for download for Guitar Hero 3 (Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 3) and Guitar Hero World Tour (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2). To find out more, head on over to the full article.

Speaking words of wisdom: let it be, let it be. Well, we do hope it will be - because if recent news holds out, we just might get a Beatles release for Rock Band or Guitar Hero (maybe for both games, if Lucy's diamonds shine down on us just right) - just like how Aerosmith got their own version for Guitar Hero. Back in March, ATV Music (in partnership with Sony) already expressed interest in bringing the Fab Four's music to GH. Recent accounts, however, report that a deal may finally be settled in the coming weeks.

In the video game industry, it's important not to rest on one's laurels. Activision probably knows this. In spite of the fact that its Q4 and fiscal year 2008 financial reports have shown encouraging results, the company is already planning its next ventures in the near future. This was evident in the company's recent conference call. More lucrative news follows after the jump.