Beastie Boys sue Chili's owner, claiming 'Sabotage' was used without permission
The Beastie Boys have sued restaurant owner Brinker International, claiming the legendary rap trio's 1994 song "Sabotage" was used to promote the Chili's restaurant chain without their permission.
The group said in its complaint filed in New York federal court on Wednesday that Brinker unlawfully used "Sabotage" in Chili's social-media ads, falsely implying that the Beastie Boys endorsed the casual-dining restaurants. The lawsuit was filed by surviving members Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Mike "Mike D" Diamond, as well as Adam "MCA" Yauch's widow, Dechen Yauch.
Attorneys for the Beastie Boys and spokespeople for Brinker did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Beastie Boys formed in New York City in 1981 and dissolved in 2012 after Yauch died of cancer at 47. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier that year.
Beastie Boys accuses Chili's owner of copyright infringement
The group's lawsuit alleged one of the ads featured "three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses" that "intended to evoke in the minds of the public scenes from Plaintiff's well-known official 'Sabotage' video."
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"Sabotage" was a single from the group's 1994 album "Ill Communication" and gained fame for its music video, a parody of 1970s television police dramas.
"The plaintiffs do not license 'Sabotage' or any of their other intellectual property for third-party product advertising purposes, and deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such uses," the lawsuit said.
The Beastie Boys accused Brinker of infringing their copyrights and violating their trademark rights. They asked the court for at least $150,000 in monetary damages and an order blocking Brinker from using their work.
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The group won a $1.7 million jury verdict against energy-drink maker Monster Beverage Corp in 2014 for using its music without permission.
In 2020, the hip-hop group licensed one of its songs for use in a political advertisement for the first time. Joe Biden's presidential campaign used "Sabotage" in a minute-long commercial questioning then President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In April that year, Diamond and Horovitz appeared in a Spike Jonze-directed Apple TV+ documentary, "Beastie Boys Story."
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY