The Beastie Boys say the restaurant chain Chili’s infringed on “Sabotage”

The Beastie Boys will never allow their music to be used in advertising. This was even part of MCA’s will (“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.”)

So imagine Mike D and Ad Rock’s rage when the found out that Chili’s, the American restaurant chain, took some liberties with a new campaign. (Watch the commercial here.)

Yeah, it’s pretty “Sabotage-y”–which would be okay if Chili’s (or, more legally specific, Brinker, Chili’s parent company) had secured permission to do this. But they did not.

The look, feel, and vibe is unmistakable–and the surviving two Beasties are pissed. I quote from SyncSummit:

“To summarize, BJ Novak and Tim Hollingsworth West Hollywood restaurant Chain, did a collaborative virial marketing campaign alongside the restaurant chain, Brinker-owned Chili’s, that was a parody/homage of the Beastie Boy’s “Sabotage” video, calling the three protagonists in the video… ‘The Feastie Boys.’

“What’s not cute is that they produced, recorded and posted it without asking any permission from The Beastie Boys to use either the concept of the video or the song ‘Sabotage.'”

To quote the band’s “Triple Trouble,” “Cause I’m a specializer, rhyme reviser/Ain’t selling out to advertisers/What you get is what you see/And you won’t see me in the advertising.”