Beastie Boys Win $1.7 Million in Copyright Case vs. Monster Energy Drink

Beastie Boys have won a $1.7 million verdict in their copyright lawsuit against Monster Beverage over the company’s unauthorized use of the group’s music in a promotional video. The band had sought up to $2.5 million for copyright infringement and false endorsement. The beverage company countered that it owed no more than $125,000, calling the case “illogical” and stating that an employee had mistakenly believed the company had permission to use the music:

“Although Monster Energy has great respect for the verdict of the jury, we strongly disagree with it,” Reid Kahn, attorney for Monster, tells Rolling Stone. “We will make an application to the Court to set aside the verdict and we intend to file an appeal. From the inception, Monster Energy has been willing to resolve this matter in a fair and equitable manner and we will continue to make additional efforts to reach a just resolution of this dispute.”

Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz, aka “Ad-Rock,” and Michael Diamond, aka “Mike D,” attended much of the trial and both testified. “We’re happy,” Horovitz said after the hearing. “We just want to thank the jury.”

The lawsuit against Monster Energy Drink was initiated in 2012 after the company featured parts of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” “So What’cha Want,” “Make Some Noise” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” on a promotional video on their website, along with a 23-minute medley of band’s songs made available for download as an MP3. The cuts were taken from footage of a live set by DJ Z-Trip at the Monster-sponsored Canadian festival Ruckus in the Rockies, held a few days after Adam “MCA” Yauch died in May. Yauch’s will specifically prohibits any company from using the group’s music for advertisements.