GoldieBlox pulls out of Beastie Boys copyright lawsuit
A US toy company which fell foul of renowned hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys over the use of one their songs has said it will no longer pursue a lawsuit which could have allowed it to use the song.
GoldieBlox, which makes learning toys for girls, has called a truce with the band following a public dispute over the re-working of the song Girls in a promotional video.
GoldieBlox had filed a lawsuit in response to Beastie Boys’ claims of copyright infringement, seeking a declaratory judgement of fair use.
However, in a statement posted on its website, the California-based company said it has already removed the song from the video and is ready to stop the lawsuit, provided it is no longer under threat from the band’s lawyers.
The dispute first started earlier this month when GoldieBlox posted the video on YouTube.
The video, which changed the lyrics of the original track and showed three girls building a Rube Goldberg machine, generated more than 8 million hits on the website.
But the Beastie Boys’ lawyers contacted GoldieBlox, dismissing claims of fair use and adding that the unauthorised use was a “big problem” that had a “very significant impact”.
On November 27, following an open letter from the band, GoldieBlox backtracked on the lawsuit.
“Our hearts sank last week when your lawyers called us with threats that we took very seriously. As a small company, we had no choice but to stand up for ourselves,” GoldieBlox said.
“When we made our parody version of your song, Girls, we did it with the best of intentions. We wanted to transform it into a powerful anthem for girls.”
In the letter, the Beastie Boys praised the creativity of the video but said they had decided “long ago” to not let their songs be used in advertising. They also referred to former member Adam Yauch, who had requested in his will that the band’s music not be used in advertising.
GoldieBlox’s statement added: “We want you to know that when we posted the video, we were completely unaware that the late, great Adam Yauch had requested in his will that the Beastie Boys songs never be used in advertising.
“Although we believe our parody video falls under fair use, we would like to respect his wishes and yours.”
