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Beastie Boys awarded $1.7 million in copyright case against Monster Beverage
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The Beastie Boys were victorious on Thursday, winning $1.7 million in a copyright lawsuit against Monster Beverage.
Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, and the estate of Adam "MCA" Yauch filed the suit against the energy drink company after four songs — "Sabotage," "So What'cha Want," "Make Some Noise," and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" — were used without permission for a 2012 promotional video. Rolling Stone reports that the group had originally sought up to $2.5 million, with Monster countering that it owed no more than $125,000. The company said that an employee falsely believed that Monster had permission to use the music, and that the case was "illogical."
The trial was not without its light moments, with Horovitz at one point having to explain terms like "dope" while on the stand.