The remaining members of the Beastie Boys—Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz—as well as the late Adam Yauch’s wife, Dechen Wangdu Yauch, have sued Chili’s Bar & Grill for their use of the song “Sabotage” in an ad. Notoriously, the band has cracked down on commercial use of their music. This is yet another suit in a line of others over the years that tackled copyright infringement and commercialization.
According to the suit, the restaurant chain used the 1994 hit “Sabotage” in an ad without permission. It also created an advertisement in November 2022 that took imagery from the music video, which emulated 1970s crime dramas.
The suit was filed on Wednesday, July 10, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It stated that the ad showed three characters in 70s clothing similar to the mustaches and sunglasses from the music video as they stole ingredients from Chili’s restaurants. “Sabotage” underscored the ad.
[RELATED: 5 Must-Hear Songs from Beastie Boys’ ‘Ill Communication’ to Celebrate the Album’s 30th Anniversary]
Beastie Boys Crack Down on Commercial Use of Their Music
The Beastie Boys are seeking a jury trial and $150,000 in damages, according to a report from the New York Times. These demands are for both claims—copyright infringement of the song and the music video.
In the past, the band has taken on companies that used their music without permission. They were usually successful, such as in 2014 when they took on Monster Energy Drink. The brand rolled out ads using remixes of Beastie Boys songs, and the band took them on for a $1.7 million settlement.
That same year, they took on GoldieBlox, a toy company, which used their song “Girls” for its ad. Children used its product to build a Rube Goldberg device while singing the song with altered lyrics. The band stated in the suit that their music was used in “an advertisement that is designed to sell a product,” which the Beastie Boys have never allowed.
The suit was settled with multiple terms. At the time, a representative for GoldieBlox stated that the settlement included “(a) the issuance of an apology by GoldieBlox, which will be posted on GoldieBlox’s website, and (b) a payment by GoldieBlox, based on a percentage of its revenues, to one or more charities selected by Beastie Boys that support science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for girls.”
Looks like, once again, it’s no sleep ’til lawsuit settlement.
Featured Image by Apple TV/Everett/Shutterstock
Most Popular
Comments / 0