J Harmony
After it was recently revealed that Adam “MCA” Yauch prohibited the use of his music in advertisements, the remaining Beastie Boys quickly respected his request, suing Monster Energy for using unlicensed material.
Adam Yauch’s will was filed this Tuesday in Manhattan Surrogate court and in it was a request that prevented the use of his music and “artistic property” for use in advertisements:
“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes.”
Shortly after the will was filed, the remaining boys did some filing themselves, filing a lawsuit against Monster Energy for the use of unlicensed music. The group claims that Monster used the songs “Sabotage,” “So Whatcha Want” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” in an ad for its 2012 Ruckus in the Rockies event. In their formal complaint, the Beastie Boys state that the advertisement is
“comprised substantially of excerpts from the Beastie Boys Sound Recordings and the Beastie Boys Musical Compositions totaling more than three minutes in duration.” They also claim that, “the text accompanying Monster’s internet postings, video and MP3 conveyed to consumers the impression that Beastie Boys permitted the use of their name and intellectual property, and participated in connection with Monster’s promotion of its products and events.”
It’s great to see that the rest of the group is honoring Yauch’s final wishes. R.I.P.
