3 Count: Chili’s Sabotage

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1: Beastie Boys Sue Chili’s Parent Company for Copyright Infringement

First off today, the Associated Press reports that members of the band The Beastie Boys have filed a lawsuit against Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s restaurant, over alleged copyright infringement.

According to the lawsuit, Chili’s created a social media ad that used parts of their 1994 song Sabotage and elements from the music video. Specifically, the video featured three men wearing 1970s-style costumes stealing ingredients from a Chili’s restaurant, a direct parody of the original music video.

This is not the first lawsuit The Beastie Boys have filed over the use of their music in commercials. In 2014, they won a $1.7 million judgment against Monster Energy following the company’s use of one of the group’s songs in a commercial for a sporting event.

2: RIAA Sues Verizon After ISP “Buried Head in Sand” Over Subscribers’ Piracy

Next up today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that the major record labels have filed a lawsuit against Verizon, alleging that the internet service provider has repeatedly failed to take action against piracy on its network.

According to the lawsuit, since early 2020, the labels have sent Verizon over 340,000 infringement notices. However, despite the volume, the company has refused to disable access to repeat infringers, including those receiving thousands of notices.

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), service providers are supposed to disable the accounts of repeat infringers. However, the labels claim that Verizon’s policy is ineffective and that they are liable for both contributory and vicarious copyright infringement.

3: ASCAP Slaps Reno’s West 2nd Street Karaoke Bar with Copyright Lawsuit, Owners Fear Damages

Finally, today, Jaedyn Young at the Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) has targeted a local karaoke bar over allegations that the bar has not paid the necessary licensing fees.

According to ASCAP, they contacted the bar multiple times about securing a license but did not hear back. The bar continued to perform music licensed through it despite the infringement warnings. According to the lawsuit, the bar had a license between 2008 and 2015 but failed to pay license dues, resulting in its termination.

ASCAP has said they hope to reach an amicable settlement in this case. However, the bar’s owners fear massive damages could sink them financially.

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