Beastie Boys sue Chili's owner over 'Sabotage' ads

By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) - The Beastie Boys have sued restaurant owner Brinker International in New York federal court, saying Brinker used the legendary rap trio's 1994 song "Sabotage" to promote the Chili's chain without their permission.

The group said in its complaint filed on Wednesday that Brinker unlawfully used "Sabotage" in Chili's social-media ads, falsely implying that the Beastie Boys endorsed the casual-dining restaurants.

Attorneys for the Beastie Boys and spokespeople for Brinker did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit on Thursday.

The Beastie Boys formed in New York City in 1981 and dissolved in 2012 after founding member Adam "MCA" Yauch died of cancer. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier that year.

"Sabotage" was a single from the group's 1994 album "Ill Communication" and gained fame for its music video, a parody of 1970s television police dramas.

The group's lawsuit said that Brinker posted Chili's ads to social media featuring "Sabotage" without a license.

It also said that one of the ads featured "three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses" that "intended to evoke in the minds of the public scenes from Plaintiff's well-known official 'Sabotage' video."

"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.

The Beastie Boys accused Brinker of infringing their copyrights and violating their trademark rights. They asked the court for at least $150,000 in monetary damages and an order blocking Brinker from using their work.

The group won a $1.7 million jury verdict against energy-drink maker Monster Beverage Corp in 2014 for using its music without permission.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Andrew Heavens)