Lawsuit Filed by Beastie Boys Against Chili's Owner over Unauthorized 'Sabotage' Social Media Ads
Chili's in Hot Water: Beastie Boys Sue Over Unauthorized Use of "Sabotage"
The Beastie Boys have thrown down the gauntlet, filing a lawsuit against Brinker International, the proprietors of the Chili's restaurant chain, for misusing their 1994 hit track, "Sabotage." According to Reuters' report, this legal battle unfolded in a federal court on Wednesday.
The lawsuit, accessible online courtesy of Reuters, alleges that the Chili's social media team started employing the song around November 2022, creating videos that mimicked the iconic '90s music video for "Sabotage." In these videos, three characters donned 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses that eerily resembled the Beastie Boys members, as they pretended to rob Chili's ingredients.
The original "Sabotage" music video, directed by Spike Jonze, was one of the most popular videos of the '90s.
The Beastie Boys have steadfastly refrained from lending their songs to commercial advertising. The late member, Adam "MCA" Yauch, who succumbed to cancer in 2012, even went so far as to specify in his will that the group's songs shouldn't be exploited for any advertising purposes. The band argues that the public was tricked into believing that they endorsed Chili's, thanks to the album's social media video. However, the location of these videos remains a mystery, as it wasn't mentioned in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit demands a financial compensation of $150,000 per copyright violation, along with attorney's fees and triple the profits that Chili's amassed from the use of the song. Attorneys for the Beastie Boys haven't responded to queries yet. Gizmodo reached out to Brinker International for comment, and we'll update this piece if we hear back.
This lawsuit underscores the Beastie Boys' long-standing dedication to protecting their music from commercial exploitation, paralleling their past efforts to safeguard Yauch's wishes and the integrity of the group's music.
[1] Copyright infringement cases, especially involving music, are notoriously complex due to arguments about fair use, licensing, and the rights of artists to control the use of their work. The Beastie Boys' lawsuit against Chili's underscores the ongoing challenges in enforcing these rights, particularly when there are explicit instructions from the creators themselves.
[3] The Beastie Boys' commitment to artistic control and integrity, as demonstrated by their legal actions and Yauch's will, highlights their unwavering stance against commercial exploitation of their music.
[1] The future of Chili's may be uncertain following the tech-savvy Beastie Boys' lawsuit, with allegations of copyright infringement related to their hit track "Sabotage."
[2] The Beastie Boys' legal battle highlights the tension between technology and artistic control, as the digital age increasingly pushes the boundaries of what is considered appropriate use of intellectual property.
[3] If the Beastie Boys win the lawsuit, it could potentially set a precedent for future cases of technology-driven copyright infringement, impacting the future use of music in advertising and online content.
[4] The video footage from the Chili's parody music videos, largely responsible for this copyright dispute, remains a prime piece of evidence in the ongoing legal confrontation between the Beastie Boys and Brinker International, shaping the future of the case and potentially the tech industry's relationship with the music world.
