NEW YORK CITY:

The iconic rap group The Beastie Boys have filed a lawsuit against restaurant owner Brinker International in federal court in New York, claiming that Brinker exploited their 1994 song Sabotage to advertise the Chili’s chain without their consent.

In a complaint submitted on Wednesday, the group claimed that Brinker had illegally utilized Sabotage in Chili’s social media advertisements, creating the misleading impression that the casual dining establishments were supported by the Beastie Boys. Requests for comment on the case on Thursday were met with silence from Brinker’s spokespearson and the Beastie Boys’ attorneys.

The Beastie Boys were founded in 1981 in New York City and disbanded in 2012 following the cancer-related death of founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch. Earlier that year, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The group’s 1994 album Ill Communication featured the single “Sabotage,” which became well-known due to its spoof of 1970s TV police dramas in the music video.

According to the group’s lawsuit, Brinker uploaded Chili’s social media advertisements with Sabotage without a permit. Additionally, it stated that one of the advertisements was designed to “evoke in the minds of the public scenes from Plaintiff’s well-known official Sabotage video,” with “three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses.”

“The plaintiffs do not license Sabotage or any of their other intellectual property for third-party product advertising purposes, and deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch included a provision in his will prohibiting such uses,” the lawsuit said.

Brinker was accused by the Beastie Boys of violating their trademark rights and copyrights. They requested an injunction prohibiting Brinker from utilizing their work and monetary damages of at least $150,000 from the court. In 2014, the group was awarded a $1.7 million jury victory against Monster Beverage Corp., the manufacturer of energy drinks, for unauthorized use of their music.

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