Fledgling toy company GoldieBlox Inc. has settled a short-lived, high-powered legal fight with the Beastie Boys over the rights to the song “Girls.” In November the company, which markets construction-themed toys to girls, filed a preemptive lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that its use of the Beastie Boys’ song was an obvious parody and was protected by the fair use doctrine. The company used the song in a two-minute video that featured a Rube Goldberg machine that finds creatively destructive uses for a collection of stereotypical girls’ toys. GoldieBlox was originally represented by Annette Hurst of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, who had to withdraw because of a conflict. She was replaced by Daralyn Durie of Durie Tangri.
The Beastie Boys’ longtime counsel, Kenneth Anderson at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, struck back in December with a copyright and trademark infringement suit. The lawsuit was pending before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in Oakland.
