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GoldieBlox/YouTube
Lawsuit

Beastie Boys 'Girls' taken off viral video after objection

Toy company GoldieBlox got into hot water after the band objected to its song being featuring in an advertisement.

THE MAKERS OF the viral video ‘Princess Machine’ has had to release a new version of it after a dispute between it and the Beastie Boys.

GoldieBlox’s original video, which had three girls playing with a Rube Goldberg-type machine, included a parody version of the band’s song ‘Girls’.

However, the will of one of its members Adam Yauch, who passed away last year after a bout with cancer, stated that the band’s music would not be used for advertising purposes.

GoldieBlox filed a lawsuit against the band saying that its parody of the song was under fair use, but then later decided to take down the video.

An open letter from the two surviving members Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz said:

We were very impressed by the creativity and the message behind your ad. We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering.

As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads.

GoldieBlox published its own open letter where its founder Debbie Starling wrote:

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 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.

Since actions speak louder than words, we have already removed the song from our video. In addition, we are ready to stop the lawsuit as long as this means we will no longer be under threat from your legal team.

The video had more than eight million views before it was taken down and replaced by an updated version.

Read: This is what it is like to be a five-year-old in Ireland >

Read: Primary school asks parents not to get their kids Grand Theft Auto for Christmas >

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