The Beastie Boys are suing the parent company of Chili's in a case that accuses the chain restaurant of running an advertisement that used the hip-hop trio's smash hit "Sabotage" without permission.
The rap group, in a federal case filed Wednesday in New York, alleged Brinker International created a Chili's ad that used significant portions of "Sabotage" and ripped off the song's music video.
Brinker International did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The court filings did not list an attorney for Brinker.
Debuting in 1994, "Sabotage" became a huge hit for The Beastie Boys, and its accompanying music video, where the group's three members donned wigs, fake mustaches and sunglasses in a parody of 1970s crime television shows, is one of the most recognizable in the genre.
The lawsuit accused Brinker of creating a Chili's social media ad in 2022 that used parts of the song alongside a video of three people wearing 1970's-style disguises stealing ingredients from a Chili's restaurant.
The case was filed by surviving Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond, along with the executor of the estate of Adam Yauch, a band member who died of cancer in 2012. Yauch, in his will, specifically barred the use of his music in advertisements.
The Beastie Boys in 2014 won $1.7 million in a copyright violation case against the maker of Monster Energy drink for the company's unauthorized use of one of the group's songs.
Matthew Perry’s Assistant and 2 Doctors Among 5 People Charged In “Friends” Star’s Death
A prosecutor says five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor's assistant and two doctors. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday, saying the doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even wondered in a text message how much the former "Friends" star would be willing to pay. "These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong," Estrada said. Perry died in October due to a ketamine overdose and received several injections of the drug on the day he died from his live-in personal assistant. The assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, is the one who found Perry dead later that day. The actor went to the two charged doctors in desperation after his regular doctors refused to give him ketamine in the amounts he wanted. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in one instance the actor paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost one of the physicians about $12. Two of the people, including one of the doctors charged, were arrested Thursday, Estrada said. Two of the defendants, including Iwamasa, have pleaded guilty to charges already, and a third person has agreed to plead guilty. Multiple messages left seeking comment from lawyers or offices for all the defendants have not yet been returned. Among those arrested Thursday are Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and also two charges related to allegations he falsified records after Perry's death. The other person arrested Thursday is Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors described as a drug dealer known as the "ketamine queen." Ketamine supplied by Sangha caused Perry's death,... Read More