The Beastie Boys sue Chili’s parent company over alleged misuse of ‘Sabotage’ song in ad

NEW YORK (AP) — The Beastie Boys are suing the guardian firm of Chili’s in a case that accuses the chain restaurant of operating an commercial that used the hip-hop trio’s smash hit “Sabotage” with out permission.

The rap group, in a federal case filed Wednesday in New York, alleged Brinker Worldwide created a Chili’s advert that used vital parts of “Sabotage” and ripped off the music’s music video.

Brinker Worldwide didn’t instantly return an e mail in search of remark. The court docket filings didn’t record an lawyer for Brinker.

Debuting in 1994, “Sabotage” grew to become an enormous hit for The Beastie Boys, and its accompanying music video, the place the group’s three members donned wigs, faux mustaches and sun shades in a parody of Nineteen Seventies crime tv exhibits, is among the most recognizable within the style.

The lawsuit accused Brinker of making a Chili’s social media advert in 2022 that used elements of the music alongside a video of three individuals carrying 1970’s-style disguises stealing elements from a Chili’s restaurant.

The case was filed by surviving Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond, together with the executor of the property of Adam Yauch, a band member who died of most cancers in 2012. Yauch, in his will, particularly barred using his music in ads.

The Beastie Boys in 2014 received $1.7 million in a copyright violation case in opposition to the maker of Monster Power drink for the corporate’s unauthorized use of one of many group’s songs.