Beastie Boys have taken authorized motion in opposition to Brinker International, the homeowners of the Chili’s restaurant chain, for allegedly infringing upon the band’s copyright with a business resembling that of the band’s hit track and music video “Sabotage.”

Living members Michael Diamond (MIke D.) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), together with Dechen Yauch, who’s the executor of the late Adam Yauch’s (MCA) property, have joined collectively to file the criticism, searching for a jury trial over the place the restaurant chain did certainly infringe upon the copyright.

According to the criticism, the band alleges that “no earlier than November 2022, Brinker produced, sponsored, and encouraged the creation and posting on social media of videos to promote Brinker’s “Chili’s” restaurants that included musical compositions and sound recordings that were used without the permission of the rights owners.”

The group alleges that parts of their musical composition for “Sabotage” had been synched to the business video, which featured a trio of characters “wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses who were intended to evoke the three members of Beastie Boys performed scenes depicting them ‘robbing’ ingredients from a Chili’s” restaurant intercut with fictitious opening credits, in ways obviously similar to and intended to evoke in the minds of the public scenes from Plaintiff’s well-known official ‘Sabotage’ video.”

This was all performed with out the band’s permission as they haven’t licensed their music for third-party product promoting functions, a provision that Yauch left in his will that his bandmates have strictly enforced since his passing.

READ MORE: Adam Yauch’s Will Forbids His Music in Ads

What Beastie Boys Are Seeking From Brinker (Chilii’s)

The go well with claims that the infraction was “intentional and willful” and so they really feel that the advert may mislead viewers into accepting the advert as a band endorsement. As a end result, the group is searching for a everlasting injunction in opposition to Brinker that may preserve them from additional infringement of the band’s copyrighted works.and necessitate the removing of the advert from promotional platforms.

As for a monetary award, the group states that an quantity in every case isn’t lower than $150,000, however that the precise damages and income can be decided at trial.

The full authorized criticism could also be seen right here.

Beastie Boys, “Sabotage”

About Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” Video

“Sabotage” initially appeared on Beastie Boys’ 1994 album, Ill Communication. While the track was a strong hit at different rock radio, it loved equal or better successes at MTV the place the Spike Jonze-directed video was nominated for 5 MTV Video Music Awards.

The video featured members of the band dressed as ’70s period cops, sending up a number of the action-oriented Nineteen Seventies tv cop dramas. The clip even went as far as to supply credit for every character very similar to the opening of a TV sequence.