The Beasties Boys have been award $1.7 million in a copyright case against Monster Energy after the company admitted it used the group’s music in a promotional video without licensing it.
A Manhattan jury delivered the verdict on Thursday (June 5), after eight days of trials and nearly two years after the suit was filed by the Brooklyn-bred group.
Mike D and Ad-Rock sued for copyright infringement back in August of 2012, after Monster used a mix of several Beastie Boys classic in a video promoting a snowboarding competition. The video concluded with the words “RIP MCA” to honor the late Adam “MCA” Yauch — which, according to Time, went against Yauch’s will, which stated his name and likeness were not to be used for promotional purposes.
They had originally requested more than $2 million, according to Reuters, while Monster insisted on $125,000.
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