After toy company GoldieBlox’s “Girls†ad went viral last week, the Beastie Boys have threatened legal action, claiming the company’s use of the song is a “big problem†with “very significant impact.†GoldieBlox maintains that the spot is protected satire. It’s an interesting debate we’ll undoubtedly see more and more of as viral videos and advertising become one and the same. A debate that, in this case at least, is just ridiculously darling.
Update: the Beastie Boys have written an open letter about the suit.
Like many of the millions of people who have seen your toy commercial “GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & the Beastie Boys,†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.
When we tried to simply ask how and why our song “Girls†had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.