Viacom Owes Harmonix $383 Million For Rock Band Intellectual Property

The legal battle between Rock Band developer Harmonix and parent company Viacon continues to rage, and the results seem to be in Harmonix’s favor.

Legal battles in the video game industry, or any entertainment industry really, never turn out well, and that’s exactly the seeming results of the legal struggle between Rock Band developer Harmonix and their parent company Viacom, over exactly who owns what. Harmonix had previously sued Viacom over the claim that Viacom and EA set up a backdoor agreement regarding the Rock Band intellectual property that benefits its own interests rather than those of Harmonix. However, proof of this is still not determinate.

However, the latest finding reportedly show that Viacom owes Harmonix $383 million in damages, countermanding the suit that Viacom filed against Harmonix that claims that Harmonix owes them $131 million due to some appallingly bad math.

The whole legal battle between Harmonix and Viacom began when Viacom acquiried Harmonix in 2006 and owed substantial bonus payments to the former owners of Harmonix. Viacom paid a good deal of money up front, then paid a little more of a bonus in 2007 following the commercially successful Rock Band, but then gave nothing the following year and asked for a refund of all money previously paid. I guess Viacom had no idea just how successful Rock Band would be.

Like I said, lawsuits in the entertainment industry never really turn out well, and as a rooter for the underdog, I hope that legally Viacom is forced to do right by Harmonix.

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