The Beastie Boys have been awarded more than €1.2 million after winning a court case over the unauthorised use of their music in energy drinks advertising.
California-based drinks manufacturer Monster had admitted using Beastie Boys' music in a promotional video without permission from the band or their publishers but argued that the amount of money they were penalised was unjust - €88,000 for each of the copyright violations.
Monster were found guilty of deliberately infringing copyright by using snippets from Beastie Boys songs 'Sabotage', 'So Whatcha Want', 'Make Some Noise', Pass the Mic' and 'Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun' and were also fined a further €367,000 for "using the band's persona without permission", implying that the Beastie Boys had actually endorsed the products.
The trial, which lasted eight days, featured testimony from the two surviving members of the band, Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond. The band's third member, Adam Yauch, died of throat cancer in May 2012. Horovitz testified that the band would never license their music to be used in advertising, with Diamond adding that the band had become incredibly protective of their catalogue since Yauch's death.
Before his death Yauch left instructions in his will that no Beastie Boys music should ever be used in advertising, under any circumstances.
The will read: "In no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes."
Mike Diamond revealed earlier this month that the Beastie Boys will never perform or release again to mark a promise they made to Yauch before his death, despite rumours that they recorded brand new material after the release of their last album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and have sold upwards of 40 million records throughout their career.
