Beastie Boys have won a $1.7 million verdict in their copyright lawsuit against Monster Beverage. The company’s use of the group’s music in a promo video and a downloadable MP3 initiated the suit, in which the group sought up to $2.5 million for copyright infringement and false endorsement. Monster countered that the case was “illogical,” declaring the maximum it could be liable for was $125,000.
Watch librarians hilariously recreate “Sabotage” video
“Although Monster Energy has great respect for the verdict of the jury, we strongly disagree with it,” Reid Kahn, attorney for Monster, told Rolling Stone. “We will make an application to the Court to set aside the verdict and we intend to file an appeal. From the inception, Monster Energy has been willing to resolve this matter in a fair and equitable manner and we will continue to make additional efforts to reach a just resolution of this dispute.”
Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz made a general statement after the verdict: “We’re happy. We just want to thank the jury.”
The suit stated that Monster included parts of “Sabotage,” “So What’cha Want,” Make Some Noise” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” in a promotional video posted on Monster’s website, as well as a 23-minute medley of Beastie Boys songs made available for download as an MP3.
Beastie Boys member MCA, aka Adam Yauch, died in May. Yauch’s will specifically prohibits any company from using the group’s music for advertisements. The complaint counters this intent: “The public was confused into believing that plaintiffs sponsored, endorsed and are associated with defendant Monster in promoting defendant Monster’s productions and promotional events.” The band claimed that Monster’s use of its music will cause “irreparable damage” and sought the removal of the video and MP3 from Monster’s website.
The court’s decision came with a smirk, referring to the Beasties as a “famous hip-hop group ‘from the family tree of old-school hip-hop.'” The court also referenced “So What’cha Want,” noting, “In musical terms, Z-Trip can now, therefore, rest at least ‘as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce,’ because Monster’s Third-Party Complaint against him has ‘got the rhyme and reason but no cause.'”
