Back in June 2014, the Beastie Boys were awarded $1.7m (£1.1m) in their copyright infringement suit against Monster energy drinks. While jurors ordered a huge payout for the drink brand’s unauthorised use of the Beastie Boys’ iconography and songs in a 2012 YouTube video, the rap group are now asking Monster to pay an additional sum of $2.4m to cover legal fees and costs.
The Beastie Boys’ suit argued that Monster’s use of their music in a four-minute advert made it seem as if the band were endorsing the energy drink. The surviving members of the group highlighted a clause in the late Adam Yauch’s will, which prohibited the use of his music “for advertising purposes”.
Although a Manhattan federal court awarded the group most of the $2m they initially requested last year, the sum was not enough to cover the costs of two years of litigation, punctuated by Monster’s alleged failure to engage in good-faith negotiations. An eight-day trial and Monster’s effort to overturn the verdict added to the legal bill, reports Associated Press.
This will hurt the beverage maker, who originally suggested it should owe no more than $125,000.
Monster admitted to infringing on the Beastie Boys’ work, arguing that it had been an honest mistake. The brand hired DJ Z-Trip to play at a Monster-sponsored party, which featured a five-song Beastie Boys “megamix”. According to Monster’s court filings, the company erroneously believed that they owned the rights to the megamix and therefore believed they were able to use it in a promotional video for a snowboarding event sponsored by the drinks company.
The Beastie Boys have sold more than 40m records worldwide. Adam Yauch, often referred to as MCA, died of cancer in 2012. He was 47.
