Beastie Boys And UMG Reach Settlement With Chili’s Over “Sabotage” Ad Use Lawsuit

Beastie Boys and Universal Music Group have settled their lawsuits with Chili’s parent company Brinker International, over the unauthorized use of the band’s 1994 hit, “Sabotage” in social media ads, which also mimicked the famous Spike Jonez-directed music video. The legal dispute began in July 2024, with the band and record label seeking damages of at least $150,000. “The plaintiffs do not license ‘Sabotage’ or any of their other intellectual property for third-party product advertising purposes,” states the lawsuit. “And deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such uses.” This continues a series of legal victories for the Beastie Boys when it comes to protecting their intellectual property and honoring the late MCA’s wishes, including a $1.7 million verdict against Monster Energy in 2014, and an undisclosed settlement that same year with GoldieBlox over the unauthorized use of their song “Girls.” (Rolling Stone)