MUMBAI: In a controversial case of a copyright infringement, Beastie Boys have been awarded $1.7 million.
The federal jury in Manhattan declared its verdict on the eighth day of the trial concerning the rap/hip-hop band and the energy drink company Monster.
The Beastie Boys had filed a lawsuit against Monster in August 2012, alleging that the brand intentionally used their songs in a promotional video for an event called ‘Ruckus in the Rockies’. The video included a remix of the band’s songs ‘Sabotage’, ‘So Whatcha Want’ and ‘Make Some Noise’.
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The lawyers of the group members ‘Ad-Rock’ (Adam Horowitz) and ‘Mike-D’ (Michael Desmond) argued that the group must be compensated entirely for any damage caused to the image of the band and their musical content. They sought a payment of $2 million.
Monster contradicted their claim saying that it owed no more than $125,000. They called the case ‘illogical’ and said that an employee had mistakenly believed the company owned the copyrights to use the songs.
Ad-Rock and Mike-D, the only two living band members, testified and attended much of the trial proceedings.
The jury’s verdict stated that Monster is liable to reimburse the plaintiffs with $120,000 for each of 10 violations of copyright. The jurors also awarded an additional $500,000 when it was established that the company had used the band’s persona without permission. This suggested a false endorsement of Monster’s products.
After hearing the verdict, Adam Horowitz said, “We’re happy. We just want to thank the jury.”
