American rap group Beastie Boys has filed a lawsuit against the owner of Brinker International, alleging that the band’s 1994 song “Sabotage” was used to promote the Chili’s restaurant chain without their permission.
The group said in its complaint filed in federal court in New York on Wednesday that Brinker illegally used the song “Sabotage” in Chili’s social media ads, falsely suggesting that the Beastie Boys endorsed the fast-food chain. The lawsuit was filed by Adam “Ad Rock” Horovitz and Mike “Mike D” Diamond, as well as Adam “MCA” Yauch’s widow, Dechen Yauch.
Attorneys for the Beastie Boys and spokespeople for Brinker did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Beastie Boys formed in New York City in 1981 and disbanded in 2012 after Yoch’s death from cancer at the age of 47. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier that year.
Beastie Boys Sues Chili’s Owner for Copyright Infringement
The group’s lawsuit alleged that one ad featured “three characters wearing obvious 1970s-style wigs, fake mustaches and sunglasses” that “were intended to evoke scenes from Plaintiff’s well-known official ‘Sabotage’ video in the public’s mind.”
“Sabotage” was a single from the group’s 1994 album Ill Communication, and gained notoriety for its music video, a parody of 1970s television police dramas.
“Plaintiffs do not license ‘Sabotage’ or any of their other intellectual property for the purposes of advertising third party products, and deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such uses,” the lawsuit states.
The Beastie Boys have accused Brinker of copyright and trademark infringement. They are seeking damages of at least $150,000 and an order to prevent Brinker from using their work.
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The group won a $1.7 million jury verdict against energy drink company Monster Beverage Corp in 2014 for using their music without permission.
In 2020, the hip-hop group licensed one of its songs for use in a political ad for the first time. Joe Biden’s presidential campaign used the song “Sabotage” in a one-minute commercial questioning President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In April of that year, Diamond and Horowitz appeared in a Spike Jonze-directed Apple TV+ documentary called “The Beastie Boys Story.”
Contributing: Kimmy Robinson, USA Today
