Ska-pop funsters, No Doubt, are grumpy about the usage of their avatars in Band Hero. Legally grumpy, that is.

In short, the group – Gwen Stefani and some men – say they gave permission for their likenesses to be used when performing three of their own songs within the game. Problem is that their digital doppelgangers can then also be used to perform, say, Kung-Fu Fighting, Y.M.C.A. or any of the other 60+ poptastic ditties by other artistes featured. And that wasn’t part of the bargain, the band claims.

So it’s all getting a bit messy, with No Doubt lawyers mounting their high horses and requesting that this oversight be corrected, like pronto, and Activision refusing to do so on the grounds that the fix would be too costly to implement.

In any case, Activision argues that it has only acted within the terms of a signed contract with the band, telling Gamasutra.com:

"Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero - an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry. Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band's management in developing Band Hero."

And that’s that. Or it will be once the legal eagles have had their fill. And this isn’t the first time that Activision has found itself in hot water over the alleged misuse of artists’ avatars within music games – Courtney Love is currently getting into a litigious froth over Kurt Cobain’s appearance in Guitar Hero 5. Oh dear...