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It’s been a rough week for the Beastie Boys – and that’s putting it mildly. Just one day before the tragic passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch last week the group was hit with a lawsuit over alleged undeclared samples.
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US record label TufAmerica filed the lawsuit against the band on May 3, alleging that the group illegally sampled 1980s outfit Trouble Funk’s “Say What” and “Drop The Bomb” on four of their early tracks. The suit notes that two tracks off Paul’s Boutique, “Shadrach” and “Car Thief,” and two off Licensed To Ill, “Hold It, Now Hit It” and “The New Style,” illegally use those samples. The label is seeking damages and a permanent injunction forbidding the Beastie Boys from selling recordings that contain their samples.
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Following Yauch’s passing, TufAmerica’s attorney Kelly Talcott released a statement saying, “I was very sorry to hear of Adam Yauch’s untimely passing, and can assure you that the unfortunate timing of the filing of TufAmerica’s complaint had nothing to do with his health. On behalf of myself and TufAmerica, I offer our condolences to Adam’s family, friends and fans.” Let’s all say it together: “Ick!”
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Beastie Boys have not yet commented on the suit, nor should they. Clearly their thoughts are elsewhere and as those two albums came out over 20 years ago it seems strange that TufAmerica has picked this year to file the lawsuit. As Time.com points out, “under U.S. copyright law, civil action is to be taken within three years of the offense.” The Guardian U.K. also notes that while the suit accuses the group of “purposely concealing the integration” of the samples on their tracks, the samples have been “noted on the website Who Sampled – and on Wikipedia – for some time.”
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For more from Beastie Boys head to their Myspace Radio channel here.
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