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Toy company removes Beastie Boys parody from ad

It was one of the stranger copyright disputes of recent times. A toy company called GoldieBlox ma...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.56 28 Nov 2013


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Toy company removes Beastie Bo...

Toy company removes Beastie Boys parody from ad

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.56 28 Nov 2013


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It was one of the stranger copyright disputes of recent times. A toy company called GoldieBlox made an ad promoting their line of toys, using a version of the Beastie Boys song Girls with new lyrics intended to change it into a 'powerful anthem for girls'. The ad, featuring young girls designing Rube Goldberg devices, quickly went viral. The Beastie Boys, who say they have a firm policy of not allowing their music to be used for commercial purposes, had their lawyers enquire how GoldieBlox came to use the song.

In response, GoldieBlox issued a lawsuit against the band, saying their new version of the song was a parody and therefore 'fair use' of the material. The Beastie Boys then released a more firm statement concerning their intentions to protect their copyright, saying they admired the intentions behind the ad but emphasising "YOU sued us". You can read the full details here.

Luckily, it looks as if the situation might be diffused without the need for any unpleasant legal action. GoldieBlox has removed the version of the ad featuring the version of Girls, replacing the song with an instrumental.

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On their website, the GoldieBlox team has also posted a blog explaining the situation, addressing The Beastie Boys directly. They write, "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. We did so sincerely hoping we could come to a peaceful settlement with you.

"We want you to know that when we posted the video, we were completely unaware that the late, great Adam Yauch [the Beastie Boys' member who died last year] 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."

They also emphasise "we are ready to stop the lawsuit as long as this means we will no longer be under threat from your legal team."

You can see the new video below:

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons 2.0


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