The Beastie Boys have sued restaurant proprietor Brinker Worldwide in New York federal courtroom, saying Brinker used the legendary rap trio’s 1994 tune “Sabotage” to advertise the Chili’s chain with out their permission.
The group mentioned in its criticism filed on Wednesday that Brinker unlawfully used “Sabotage” in Chili’s social-media adverts, falsely implying that the Beastie Boys endorsed the casual-dining eating places.
Attorneys for the Beastie Boys and spokespeople for Brinker didn’t instantly reply to requests for touch upon the lawsuit on Thursday.
The Beastie Boys shaped in New York Metropolis in 1981 and dissolved in 2012 after founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch died of most cancers. They had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame earlier that yr.
“Sabotage” was a single from the group’s 1994 album “Unwell Communication” and gained fame for its music video, a parody of Nineteen Seventies tv police dramas.
The group’s lawsuit mentioned that Brinker posted Chili’s adverts to social media that includes “Sabotage” with no license.
It additionally mentioned that one of many adverts featured “three characters sporting apparent 70s-style wigs, faux mustaches, and sun shades” that “supposed to evoke within the minds of the general public scenes from Plaintiff’s well-known official ‘Sabotage’ video.”
“The plaintiffs don’t license ‘Sabotage’ or any of their different mental property for third-party product promoting functions, and deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such makes use of,” the lawsuit mentioned.
The Beastie Boys accused Brinker of infringing their copyrights and violating their trademark rights. They requested the courtroom for a minimum of $150,000 in financial damages and an order blocking Brinker from utilizing their work.
The group received a $1.7 million jury verdict in opposition to energy-drink maker Monster Beverage Corp in 2014 for utilizing its music with out permission.
—Blake Brittain, Reuters