Beastie Boys File Trademark Application Connected to "Live Performances"

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Jul 2, 2015

Though for reasons as-yet unknown, the surviving members of hip-hop icons the Beastie Boys have allegedly filed a trademark application that would only apply to future live appearances.

While the band have been inactive since the 2012 death of founding member Adam "MCA" Yauch, San Diego lawyer David Lizerbram [via Pitchfork] came across a trademark application filed last week with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by the group's Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond. An attorney signed the application on their behalf.

The paperwork caught Lizerbram's eye because the trademark is connected to "live performances by a musical group."

As the lawyer explains, the document was filed on an intent-to-use basis, and added that you can't apply for the registration without putting the name "in commerce." He added: "for this application to become a trademark registration, they have to use the band name 'Beastie Boys' in the future for live musical performances."

The wording of the application, meanwhile, implies that "the applicant has a bona fide intention to use or use through the applicant's related company or licensee the mark in commerce on or in connection with the identified goods and/or services."

It's further noted by Lizerbram that the trademark application isn't needed to prevent the use of the name "Beastie Boys," or to protect their intellectual property. "There are plenty of other legal avenues to enforce those rights," he wrote, alluding to the band's legal battles with Monster Energy Drink over the unlicensed use of Beastie Boys material.

At present, it's unclear why the application was filed, with Lizerbram also suggesting that "it's possible that their attorney (who signed the application on their behalf) filed this application for some other reason that we don't know of, or that it was filed in error."

You can read the legal document in full over here.

Earlier this year, Ad-Rock told GQ that the group is "done," though there are still "hours and hours" of music in the band's vaults, and a forthcoming book looking at the outfit's long and storied career.

UPDATE: A representative from the Beastie Boys told Pitchfork, "There will never be Beastie Boys live performances without Adam Yauch."

Latest Coverage