MONSTER ENERGY AND COPYRIGHT–THE MISTAKES IT MADE WHICH LEAD TO INFRINGEMENT

In a recent ruling, Monster Energy Co., the company that manufactures energy drinks, was found guilty of infringing the Beastie Boys’ copyright in several songs.  The songs were used as part of a marketing montage promoting the drinks.  This article does an excellent job of summing up the mistakes and assumptions that Monster Energy made which lead to a guilty verdict in the Beastie Boys’ claim of copyright infringement.  While the article is geared toward marketing departments, its take-aways are just as important for anyone who wishes to use the copyrighted material of another artist.