The Beastie Boys have won upwards of $2.3 million in a legal battle against Monster Energy Drink after the latter had used one of their songs for a promotion without proper permission. The energy drink firm used the song for a snowboarding competition that ran for five weeks before taking it down. Monster Energy Drink has been ordered to pay $668,000 in legal fees, after the $1.7 million jury verdict was favoured of the band, who last released an album back in 2011.
Even though the energy drink stated that the breach of the copyright was accidental and their lawyer stated that the firm shouldn’t have to pay more than $125,000, the judge ruled against them stating, “Presiding over trial and hearing the surviving Beastie Boys’ testimony, it was apparent to the court that this case had great personal significance to them. Monster’s commercial exploitation of the band’s music and songs, and what the Beastie Boys perceived as Monster’s crass misappropriation of the name of the recently deceased Yauch in its video promoting its energy drinks, appeared to have deeply offended plaintiffs”
#Peace.Love.BeastieBoys
