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Beastie Boys sue Chili’s parent company for copyright infringement
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Brinker International tried to ill without license, according to a new lawsuit filed by iconic rap group The Beastie Boys.
The Beastie Boys are suing the parent company of Chili’s in a case that accuses the chain restaurant of running an advertisement that used the hip-hop trio’s smash hit “Sabotage” without permission.
In a federal case filed Wednesday in New York, the acclaimed rap-rock group, who rose to fame in the ’80s with the release of their debut album “Licensed to Ill,” allege Brinker International created a Chili’s ad that used significant portions of “Sabotage” and ripped off the song’s music video.
Brinker International did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The court filings did not list an attorney for Brinker.
Debuting in 1994 on the band’s fourth album, “Ill Communication,” the song “Sabotage” became a huge hit for The Beastie Boys. Its accompanying music video, where the group’s three members donned wigs, fake mustaches and sunglasses in a parody of 1970s crime television shows, is one of the most recognizable in the genre.
The lawsuit accuses Brinker of creating a Chili’s social media ad in 2022 that used parts of the song alongside a video of three people wearing 1970’s-style disguises stealing ingredients from a Chili’s restaurant.
The case was filed by surviving group members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond, along with the executor of the estate of Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died of cancer in 2012 at age 47. Yauch, in his will, specifically barred the use of his music in advertisements.
In 2014, the Beastie Boys won $1.7 million in a copyright violation case against the maker of Monster Energy drink for the company’s unauthorized use of one of the group’s songs. In a separate ruling, Monster was ordered to pay an addition $668,000 of the the Beastie Boys’ $2.4 million legal fees from the trial.
The Beastie Boys, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, have turned out four No. 1 albums and sold more than 40 million records. Last year, the corner of Ludlow and Rivington streets in New York City was officially renamed Beastie Boys Square. The intersection is featured on the cover of the group’s second album, “Paul’s Boutique.”
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Decision on Trump sentencing date in “hush money” case coming Friday, prosecutors say
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A New York judge is expected to say Friday when former President Donald Trump will be sentenced for falsifying business records to cover up a “hush money” payment to an adult film star.
Trump has twice sought to delay sentencing after his conviction in May by a unanimous jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
He was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, but Justice Juan Merchan pushed back that date to Sept. 18 after Trump motioned for the judge to set aside his conviction. Trump cited a Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have immunity for “official acts,” and evidence related to presidential work cannot be included in criminal trials.
Merchan has said he’ll rule on Trump’s request to set aside the jury’s verdict just two days before the currently scheduled sentencing, on Sept. 16.
In August, Trump asked that the sentencing date be pushed back further — until after the presidential election. Trump’s lawyers said another postponement would give his team time to appeal if Merchan rejects their request to set aside the conviction.
While waiting for Merchan’s decision, Trump also pursued another path to delaying sentencing. He asked a federal judge to take over the case, claiming it belongs in federal court. The federal judge rejected that request Wednesday, and Trump appealed.
On Thursday, a lawyer for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg informed the appeals court that Merchan will issue his decision on sentencing tomorrow.
“The judge has now informed the parties that the decision will be rendered tomorrow,” Bragg’s lawyer wrote.
Prosecutors said Trump signed off on a scheme to hide reimbursements to a lawyer who wired a $130,000 “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denied the encounter and pleaded not guilty.
Merchan has wide leeway in determining Trump’s sentence. The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to four years in jail, but this is Trump’s first conviction, so Merchan may also hand down a sentence that involves a variety of alternatives to incarceration, including probation.
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Trump election interference case moves forward
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Sandy Hook shooting survivor discusses what teachers face
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