Beastie Boys Sue Chili’s Owner for ‘Sabotage’ Parody Ad

The Beastie Boys are taking legal action against Brinker International, the company behind 30 Chili’s Grill & Bar locations in New York, alleging copyright infringement and trademark rights violations.

The legal battle was sparked by a Chili’s advertisement that parodied the Beastie Boys’ 1994 hit song “Sabotage” and its ’70s-themed, Spike Jonze-directed music video. According to the lawsuit, the ad featured “three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses,” which the group claims were clearly “intended to evoke the three members of Beastie Boys—Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Michael “Mike D” Diamond, and the late Adam “MCA” Yauch.”

The suit states that the use of the “Sabotage” sound recording, musical composition, and video was done without permission from the band. The Beastie Boys emphasize that they “do not license ‘Sabotage’ or any of their other intellectual property for third-party product advertising purposes,” and they contend that the ad misleadingly suggests that the group endorsed it.

The Beastie Boys are seeking $150,000 in damages for each instance of copyright violation, coverage of attorney fees, and triple the profits from any false representations made by the ad. Additionally, they demand that Brinker pull the commercial from circulation and commit to never using the band’s music or likenesses again.

The group is renowned for its strong stance against commercial licensing. Yauch’s will explicitly prohibits the use of his image, music, and any art he created in product advertising.

If the Beastie Boys win this case, it would mark their third recent victory over a company using their music without consent. In 2013, they reached a settlement with toy company GoldieBlox after it parodied their 1987 track “Girls” in an advertisement. GoldieBlox issued an apology and made a charitable donation.

In 2014, the group won a $1.7 million settlement against Monster Energy Drink. The beverage company had used clips of songs like “Sabotage,” “So What’cha Want,” “Make Some Noise,” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” in a promotional video and offered free downloads without obtaining the band’s permission.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.