Beastie Boys Awarded $1.7 Million In Monster Case

A New York City jury has awarded the Beastie Boys $1.7 million in a copyright violation case against beverage-maker Monster Energy Co.

The decision came Thursday at a civil trial in federal court in Manhattan.

Monster had admitted wrongly using Beastie Boys songs in a video that was online for five weeks. But the beverage maker insisted it should owe no more than $125,000. The Beastie Boys had sought $2 million.

Photo: Larry Neumeister/AP
Leaving federal court in Manhattan with his wife Kathleen Hanna.

The trial featured the testimony of rapper Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. He told jurors the legendary hip-hop group would never license songs to endorse commercial products.