The day before Adam 'MCA' Yauch of Beastie Boys passed away, a lawsuit was filed against the group for having sampled parts of a Trouble Funk tune on four different tracks.
Tuf America, who filed the lawsuit, says "Hold It Now Hit It" and "The New Style" off Paul's Boutique used Trouble Funk samples, as did "Car Thief" (using "Drop the Bomb") and "Shadrach" (using "Say What").
On Monday, Beastie Boys' lawyers made the argument that there aren't any actual similarities between the original recordings and the group's tracks. Given the fact that the tracks were recorded over two decades ago, the lawyers ask that the liability be limited in the event that the ruling is in favor of Tuf America.
"What precipitated Plaintiff to bring this action two decades after the release of the songs in question, and the day before the passing of defendant Adam Yauch, is not explained," said the lawyers. "Plaintiff is attempting to sidestep the Copyright Act's three-year statute of limitations and the defenses of laches and estoppel in light of its decades-long delay in taking any action."
Read more details of the lawsuit here.
