Beastie Boys has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain Brinker International Inc., owner of 30 Chili’s restaurants in New York, for using their classic single “Sabotage” and referencing its music video in advertisements without permission.
The suit, filed in New York federal court, claims that Brinker facilitated the creation of social media videos to promote Chili’s starting in or around November 2022.
In addition to claims that the sound recording for “Sabotage” was used without authorization, the complaint alleges that the ads resemble the Spike Jonze-directed music video for “Sabotage,” which featured Beastie members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Adam “MCA” Yauch and Michael “Mike D” Diamond starring in a fictional 1970s-style police show called “Sabotage.” The social media advertisements for Chili’s also depicted three characters in similar 1970s-style outfits “robbing” ingredients from a Chili’s restaurant.
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Representatives from Brinker International did not respond to request for comment.
Beastie Boys first released “Sabotage” in January 1994 as the first single off its fourth studio album “Ill Communication.” In the time since, the track has been hailed as one of the greatest songs of all time by numerous publications and has been continuously referenced in pop culture.
The suit claims that members of the group have and will continue to suffer damages in an unknown amount and that Brinker acted with a “willful disregard of the harm to plaintiffs.” Beastie Boys are seeking a permanent injunction, statutory damages of $150,000 in each case of copyright violation, attorney fees, three times the profits from false representations and use of its trademarks, and more.
