NEW YORK – 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.
The rap group, in a federal case filed Wednesday in New York, alleged Brinker International created a Chili's ad that used significant portions of “Sabotage” and ripped off the song's music video.
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Brinker International did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The court filings did not list an attorney for Brinker.
Debuting in 1994, “Sabotage” became a huge hit for The Beastie Boys, and 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 accused 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 Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond, along with the executor of the estate of Adam Yauch, a band member who died of cancer in 2012. Yauch, in his will, specifically barred the use of his music in advertisements.
The Beastie Boys in 2014 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.