Beastie Boys are suing Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s, alleging that the restaurant chain infringed on the copyright of the band’s song “Sabotage” and its video.
In the suit, viewed by ABC Audio, members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond, along with the estate of the late Adam “MCA” Yauch, claim that Chili’s created and posted a video that “included musical compositions and sound recordings that were used without the permission of the rights owners,” specifically from “Sabotage.”
Additionally, the suit alleges the video featured “three 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.”
ABC Audio has reached out to Brinker International for comment.
Yauch, who died in 2012, famously included in his will that he did not want Beastie Boys’ music to be used for product advertisements, which has resulted in lawsuits with several other companies. However, the Beasties have licensed “Sabotage” for select uses, including for the Star Trek reboot films and a campaign video for Joe Biden during his 2020 presidential run.
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