After having been on the other side of a number of music licensing lawsuits, the Beastie Boys were awarded $1.7 million by a New York jury Thursday in a copyright case of their own against energy-drink company Monster Beverage.

The victory is the second legal triumph for the Beastie Boys this year, after settling a dispute with toymaker Goldieblox over the use of the song “Girls” in a commercial for company’s line of toys.

What right were the Beastie Boys fighting for this time around?

The Beastie Boys’ beef with Monster is based on a promotional video posted on Monster’s website that featured a medley of Beastie Boys songs played by hip-hop DJ Z-Trip at a Monster-sponsored event.

According to Reuters, the company admitted it had infringed the Beastie Boys’ copyright, but claimed it was a mistake and that they owed at most $125,000. After eight days of trial, however, a jury awarded the Beastie Boys a $1.7 million verdict.

Copyrights are a form of legal protection for “original works” such as music, books, movies, paintings, broadcasts and a litany of other creative endeavors. Under the Copyright Act, the creators of original works have the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, or display their work and also have the right to license others to do so.

In addition to their copyright infringement claim, the Beastie Boys alleged that the video falsely implied that they were endorsing Monster’s products.

Monster’s lawyer told Reuters the company plans to appeal the verdict.

Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).

Related Resources:

  • Beastie Boys Awarded $1.7 Million In Monster Energy Copyright Suit (MTV)
  • Copyrights (FindLaw)
  • Judge Judy Sues Lawyer for False Endorsement (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)
  • Beastie Boys in Court Again; Mad About ‘Girls’ Parody Commercial? (FindLaw’s U.S. Ninth Circuit Blog)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules