The Beastie Boys had the right to hire a “Cadillac” legal team at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton to push copyright claims against the makers of Monster energy drink. But in the wake of their victory, Monster is only required to pay “Honda Civic”-level court-awarded legal fees.
That’s the conclusion that U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan reached in a ruling ordering Monster Energy Co. to pay attorney fees to the Beastie Boys. The ruling follows a jury’s finding that Monster used the group’s songs in promotional videos without permission. However, the judge declined to award the nearly $2.4 million that the Beastie Boys requested, granting instead about $668,000, a reduction of 72 percent.
