Like Adam Yauch and his Beastie Boys cohorts once sang, "I might stick around or I might be a fad, but I won't sell my songs for no TV ad."
Yauch, who died in May at the age of 47 following a long battle with cancer, explicitly banned his music from being used in advertisements in his will before he died, Rolling Stone reports.
"Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes," the will reads, with the phrase "or any music or any artistic property created by me" added in handwriting.
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In the will, Yauch also names his wife, Dechen, as the executor of his estate, with Dechen and their daughter, Tenzin Losel, named as the beneficiaries of his $6.4 million estate.
It appears that Yauch's fellow Beasties, Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, seem intent on honoring the wishes of their deceased partner, who went by the nom du rap MCA.
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Horovitz and Diamond, along with Dechen Yauch, filed suit against the Monster energy drink company, claiming that the company used dozens of Beasties songs in its promotional material without the group's permission.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday, claims that Monster used the Beastie Boys' "So Watcha Want," "Sabotage" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," among others, in promotional videos for Monster products, including a video for the Monster promotional event "Ruckus in the Rockies."
Also read: Beastie Boys' MCA: A Life in Videos
Claiming copyright infringement, Horovitz, Diamond and Yauch are asking that Monster be immediately prohibited from using their material again, plus "an amount in each case of not less than $150,000" — which, given the fact that Monster allegedly used more than 20 of their songs, could turn out to be a pretty hefty sum.
The suit is also seeking three times the profits that Monster realized from the alleged infringements, plus interest, attorney's fees and the costs of bringing the suit.
Sounds like somebody's fighting for their right … to maintain their artistic integrity.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.