The Beastie Boys Sue Chili’s for Using Song Without Permission
Musicians tend to be creative people. They create catchy songs and in many cases, even fun music videos to accompany them. Sometimes these works become very popular and receive critical acclaim and awards.
In the 1980s, The Beastie Boys fought for their right to party. Forty years later, they are still fighting, but this time for their right to sue companies that use their songs without permission.
The popular rap group is suing the parent company of Chili’s for using their smash hit “Sabotage” and accompanying music video without permission. The Beastie Boys filed a federal case accusing Brinker International, which owns Chili’s, of creating an ad that used significant portions of the song’s music video.
“Sabotage” debuted in 1994 and became a huge hit for The Beastie Boys. Its accompanying music video is known as one of the most recognizable in the genre. It portrayed the group’s three members in wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses as they did a parody of 1970s crime television shows,
The music video helped boost the band’s popularity and it was also nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards. The video allegedly inspired the opening sequence of the film “Trainspotting” and helped launch the career of its director, Spike Jonze.
In the lawsuit, the band is accusing Brinker International of creating a Chili’s social media ad that used parts of the song. The ad also showed three people wearing disguises and stealing ingredients from a Chili’s restaurant.
The case was filed by Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond. The executor of the estate of Adam Yauch was also involved. Yauch was a band member who died of cancer in 2012. In his will, Yauch specifically barred the use of his music in advertisements through a clause that stated that “in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes.”
This was not the first time The Beastie Boys had filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement. In 2014, the band won $1.7 million in a copyright violation case against the maker of Monster Energy drink for using one of their songs without permission.
This time around, The Beastie Boys are asking for $150,000 in damages from Brinker International, in addition to attorney’s fees. The Beastie Boys were formed in 1981. Together, they recorded eight studio albums. As of 2012, The Beastie Boys had sold 20 million albums and were considered to be the highest-selling rap group of all time.
Learn More About Copyright Infringement
There are a lot of cool songs out there, but you cannot just use them without permission. You have to make an effort to get permission from the songwriter or else you could be sued for misuse.
Protect your physical work and ideas with help from Orlando trademark & copyright lawyer B.F. Godfrey from Godfrey Legal. We can provide effective and efficient representation when you feel your work has been used inappropriately or without your permission. Schedule a consultation by calling (407) 890-0023 or filling out the online form.
Source:
wpbf.com/article/beastie-boys-sue-chilis-parent-company/61574358
