NEW YORK — Beastie Boys' fight for their right to not let Monster Beverage Corp use the hip-hop group's music without their permission resulted in a verdict of $1.7 million on Thursday.
A federal jury in Manhattan issued the verdict on the eighth day of trial in a copyright dispute between members of the Brooklyn-born band and the energy drink maker over songs the band says Monster used in a 2012 promotional video without a license.
The Beastie Boys had sought up to $2.5 million for copyright infringement and false endorsement.
Monster countered that it owed no more than $125,000, calling the case "illogical" and saying an employee had mistakenly believed the company had permission to use the music.