Beastie Boys Sue Monster Energy Drink for Copyright Violation

BY Alex HudsonPublished Aug 10, 2012

Let this be a lesson to corporations: don't attempt to use Beastie Boys' work without their permission or you will get taken to court. Monster Energy drink is learning that lesson the hard way, since the company is now getting sued by the rap group.

As E! Online reports, Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and the estate of Adam "MCA" Yauch filed a lawsuit against Monster Energy Corp. on Wednesday (August 8) after several of the group's songs ("Sabotage," "So What'cha Want" and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun") were used for Monster's online promotional video for its Ruckus in the Rockies 2012 event, apparently without the go-ahead from the Beasties.

The complaint says that the video is "comprised substantially of excerpts from the Beastie Boys sound recordings and the Beastie Boys musical compositions totalling more than three minutes in duration." What's more, the text that accompanied the promo video allegedly implied that the Beasties were on board with the commercial.

The Beastie Boys are seeking unspecified damages for the violation.

In related news, Yauch's will was filed this week in New York, and it includes the following stipulation: "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes."

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