THQ faces a lawsuit from musician Michael Tumbarello, who alleges that the publisher used his work in SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 without permission or compensation.
The suit concerns Tumbarello’s performance of the song “King of the Mat,” a complete version of which is contained in THQ’s SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006. Tumbarello alleges that he was never informed that his song would be used in the game. He is seeking three million dollars for copyright infringment, and a further three million for various other, similar charges.
Games from THQ’s wrestling franchise, which are already the subject of several other civil suits against the company, are consistently some of the publisher’s best-selling titles. This news comes shortly after the announcement that the SEC would be looking into the company’s stock option granting practices.
