We’ll say this about GoldieBlox Inc., an upstart toy company that few people had heard of until last month: GoldieBlox’s copyright fight with the Beastie Boys is generating a volume of publicity that most new companies can only dream about. And for a company that launched on Kickstarter.com only last fall, GoldieBlox is employing some awfully powerful IP lawyers.
On Tuesday, reigniting a spat that seemed to sputter out two weeks ago, the Beastie Boys’ longtime lawyers at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton brought copyright infringement claims against GoldieBlox in federal court in Oakland, Calif. The band claims that GoldieBlox used one of the Beastie Boys classic songs, “Girls,” to sell its toys without permission.
