GoldieBlox Toy Company and Beastie Boys Settle Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
- Selena Hill
- Mar 18, 2014 04:04 PM EDT
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The legal dispute between the toymaker GoldieBlox and the Beastie Boys has finally come to an end.
GoldieBlox, a toy company that specializes in engineering and construction toys for young girls, settled it's legal battle with the rap group for an undisclosed amount over a song that the company featured in one of its ads. The legal dispute emerged after GoldieBlox used the Beastie Boys 1987 song "Girls" in a parody toy video that went viral earlier this year.
"The lawsuit between the Beastie Boys and GoldieBlox concerning GoldieBlox's use of the Beastie Boys song 'Girls' has been settled," a spokesperson for the company told Rolling Stone. "That settlement includes (a) the issuance of an apology by GoldieBlox, which will be posted on GoldieBlox's website, and (b) a payment by GoldieBlox, based on a percentage of its revenues, to one or more charities selected by Beastie Boys that support science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for girls."
GoldieBlox, a small business in San Francisco, launched the online video titled "Princess Machine" last year, reports Today. In the ad, three young girls build a Rube Goldberg machine while singing along to the Beastie Boys track with altered lyrics that state, "Girls to build a spaceship / Girls to code the new app / Girls to grow up knowing / That they can engineer that."
The Beastie Boys accused the company of copyright infringement, and in response, GoldieBlox filed an official lawsuit arguing that the ad was a parody and therefore protected under fair use.
According to the toymaker, the suit focused specifically on the sexist nature of the original song's lyrics "Girls to do the dishes / Girls to clean up my room / Girls to do the laundry / Girls and in the bathroom," saying the company was trying to "make fun of the Beastie Boys song" and "break down gender stereotypes and to encourage young girls to engage in activities that challenge their intellect, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math."
However, the Beastie Boys fired back saying, "Make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads. When we tried to simply ask how and why our song 'Girls' had been used in your ad without our permission, you sued us." The group also pointed out a stipulation in late member Adam Yauch's will that read "in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes."
GoldieBlox responded by taking the viral video down and saying they did not know about Yauch's request.
The Beastie Boys filed a counter-suit in December that criticized GoldieBlox for not developing an original advertising campaign "to inspire its customers to create and innovate," and instead using one that "condones and encourages stealing from others."
Watch the ad below.
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