Last year, the Beastie Boys and toy makers GoldieBlox became embroiled in a legal battle over a parody version of the song "Girls" that the latter party used in a commercial. Now, the two sides have settled.
The exact details of the agreement are unknown, but the Hollywood Reporter notes that the case has been dismissed.
The dispute emerged last fall, when GoldieBlox went viral with a commercial that reworked the Beasties' song "Girls" into a pro-girl anthem. The Beasties don't allow their music to be used in commercials in keeping with the wishes of late member Adam Yauch, and their disapproval prompted pre-emptive legal action from GoldieBlox. The rappers then responded with a lawsuit of their own, alleging copyright infringement.
The commercial has since been re-released with new music (see below), although the original version can still be found online.
UPDATE: GoldieBlox has now issued the following apology to Beastie Boys:
We sincerely apologize for any negative impact our actions have had on the Beastie Boys. We never intended to cast the band in a negative light and we regret putting them in a position to defend themselves when they had done nothing wrong.
As engineers and builders of intellectual property, we understand an artist's desire to have his or her work treated with respect. We should have reached out to the band before using their music in the video.
We know this is only one of the many mistakes we're bound to make as we grow our business. The great thing about mistakes is how much you can learn from them. As trying as this experience was, we have learned a valuable lesson. From now on, we will secure the proper rights and permissions in advance of any promotions, and we advise any other young company to do the same.
The exact details of the agreement are unknown, but the Hollywood Reporter notes that the case has been dismissed.
The dispute emerged last fall, when GoldieBlox went viral with a commercial that reworked the Beasties' song "Girls" into a pro-girl anthem. The Beasties don't allow their music to be used in commercials in keeping with the wishes of late member Adam Yauch, and their disapproval prompted pre-emptive legal action from GoldieBlox. The rappers then responded with a lawsuit of their own, alleging copyright infringement.
The commercial has since been re-released with new music (see below), although the original version can still be found online.
UPDATE: GoldieBlox has now issued the following apology to Beastie Boys:
We sincerely apologize for any negative impact our actions have had on the Beastie Boys. We never intended to cast the band in a negative light and we regret putting them in a position to defend themselves when they had done nothing wrong.
As engineers and builders of intellectual property, we understand an artist's desire to have his or her work treated with respect. We should have reached out to the band before using their music in the video.
We know this is only one of the many mistakes we're bound to make as we grow our business. The great thing about mistakes is how much you can learn from them. As trying as this experience was, we have learned a valuable lesson. From now on, we will secure the proper rights and permissions in advance of any promotions, and we advise any other young company to do the same.
