Beastie Boys settle lawsuit with Chili’s over ‘Sabotage’ use
Beastie Boys and label Universal Music Group have settled a case against the restaurant chain Chili’s, who used their 1994 song ‘Sabotage’ in an advertisement without explicit permission.
In July 2024, the band and their label sued Brinker International over the ads that first started appearing in November 2022. The complaint referenced the use of the song without permission and the similarity of the clip to the song’s Spike Jonze-directed video.
The wording of their lawsuit referenced the style choice, highlighting “three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake moustaches, and sunglasses who were intended to evoke the three members of Beastie Boys.”
It continued: “The plaintiffs do not license ‘Sabotage’ or any of their other intellectual property for third-party product advertising purposes, and deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such uses.”
The band, along with UMG, sought at least $150,000 in damages. On May 21st, lawyers from both sides of the legal battle filed briefs to the federal court stating they reached a settlement “in principle.” The terms of the agreement have yet to be revealed.
This isn’t the first time the Beastie Boys have sued over the unlawful use of their music. In 2014, they won a $1.7 million verdict against the Monster Energy drink company, which used several of the group’s songs in a promotional video. In the same year, they reached an undisclosed settlement for use of their song ‘Girls’ by toy company GoldieBlox.
Far Out have previously claimed that ‘Sabotage’ represents the band at their very best: “In 1994, Beastie Boys were soaring high at the top of the charts after Ill Communication debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the R&B/hip hop album charts. The album’s lead single, ‘Sabotage’, accompanied by its iconic Spike Jonze-directed video, became an instant classic, cementing the Beastie Boys as a mainstay in both rock and hip-hop worlds.”
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