The Beastie Boys have been awarded almost $700,000 from Monster, after a U.S. district judge ruled the energy drink company must cover the rap group’s legal fees. The costs stem from a copyright infringement battle the Boys underwent against Monster, and while they’re not the $2.4 million the group originally sought, it’s still far more than what the group actually probably kicked over to its lawyers.
Last June, a court ruled that Monster improperly used five Beastie Boys songs without authorization for a promotional video and awarded the group a $1.7 million judgment. In the court costs decision, US district judge Paul Engelmayer wrote that “it was apparent to the court that this case had great personal significance” to the two remaining Beasties, and that “Monster’s commercial exploitation of the band’s music and songs, and what the Beastie Boys perceived as Monster’s crass misappropriation of the name of the recently deceased [Adam] Yauch in its video promoting its energy drinks, appeared to have deeply offended plaintiffs.”