Beastie Boys Win $1.7 Million In Copyright Case

The Beastie Boys an additional 1.7 million reasons to smile this morning. Their copyright violation lawsuit against Monster Energy has come to a close with energy drink company on the losing end of a $1.7 million judgement according to Billboard.

The rap group were seeking compensation of $1 million in song licensing fees and another $1 million for the “implied endorsement” of the Beastie Boys’ association with the company. A promo video that included the Beasties music was at the center of the case. Monster posted a video recapping an after party for their “Ruckus In The Rockies” snowboarding competition in Canada. The video features a mix DJ Z-Trip made of Beasties songs featuring five Beasties songs -- "Sabotage," "Pass the Mic," "Make Some Noise," "So What'cha Want" and "Looking Down the Barrel Of a Gun". Posted online a few days after the death of Beastie Boy member Adam “MCA” Yauch, the credits included a “RIP MCA” graphic using a font similar to the Monster Energy Drink’s logo.

The trial, which began last Tuesday in New York Federal Court, was launched in 2012 after the death of MCA. His will prohibited the use of the group's music, his name and/or likeness in advertisements.

"Although Monster Energy has great respect for the verdict of the jury, we strongly disagree with it," Reid Kahn, attorney for Monster, told 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."

The Beasties have not issued an official statement yet but according to Rolling Stone, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz said after the verdict "We're happy. We just want to thank the jury."

[Billboard]