Beastie Boys have been battling Monster energy drink in court for awhile now. It all began with a copyright violation suit filed by the Beastie Boys, centering around a "megamix" put together by DJ Z-Trip for a snowboarding recap video, sponsored by Monster. The "megamix" incorporated five different Beastie records-- "Sabotage," "Pass the Mic," "Make Some Noise," "So What'cha Want" and "Looking Down the Barrel Of a Gun"-- which Monster admitted to infringing upon in court.
As most of us are well aware, Beastie Boys are completely against using their music for any commercial purposes. On top of this, the video incorportaed an 'RIP MCA' message with a design that looked like Monster's logo, thus implying that Monster had the group's okay. Now, after more than two years of legal battles, Beastie Boys have come out on top with $1.7 million win.
The trial also confirmed that the Beastie Boys will not record new music with the passing of their third member Adam Yauch. Mike Diamond reportedly testified, "We can’t make new music."
