Beastie Boys Sue Chili’s Proprietor Over Social Media Adverts That Used ‘Sabotage’

The Beastie Boys filed a lawsuit in opposition to the proprietor of the Chili’s restaurant chain, Brinker Worldwide, in federal court docket on Wednesday over unauthorized use of the music group’s hit tune “Sabotage,” from 1994, in line with a report from Reuters. The band alleges Chili’s used the tune on social media platforms beginning round November 2022 and created movies impressed by the tune’s extremely common Nineties music video.

The lawsuit, a replica of which was obtained by Reuters and published online, describes how the Chili’s social media video featured three characters carrying 70s-style wigs, faux mustaches, and sun shades “who had been meant to evoke the three members of Beastie Boys” whereas they had been depicted robbing elements from a Chili’s. The scene included faux opening credit, “in methods clearly just like and meant to evoke within the minds” the traditional music video for “Sabotage,” in line with the go well with.

The music video for “Sabotage,” directed by Spike Jonze, was one of many most popular videos of the Nineties.

The Beastie Boys have by no means licensed their songs for industrial promoting and the late member Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died in 2012 from most cancers, even explicitly acknowledged in his will that the group’s songs shouldn’t be utilized in any adverts, in line with the go well with. And the group argues that the general public was “confused into believing that plaintiffs sponsored, endorsed and are related to” the Chili’s model due to the social media video. It’s not clear the place the movies had been posted, a reality not talked about within the lawsuit.

The go well with is looking for $150,000 in financial damages for every copyright violation, in addition to lawyer’s charges and thrice the earnings introduced in by Chili’s from using the tune.

Attorneys for the Beastie Boys didn’t instantly reply to questions emailed on Thursday. Gizmodo additionally reached out for remark from Brinker Worldwide, the proprietor of Chili’s, and we’ll replace this submit if we hear again.