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GoldieBlox issues appology to Beastie Boys for unauthorized "Girls" parody used in online ad

Beastie Boys @ T5 in 2008 (more by Elizabeth Weinberg)
Beastie

Yesterday, we posted that the Beastie Boys Vs. GoldieBlox lawsuit had been settled and that no details had been revealed. That’s still the case but the toymakers — who appropriated the Beasties’ “Girls” in an online ad without permission (the band prohibits use of their songs for commercials) — have issued a public apology on their website (via Rolling Stone):

We sincerely apologize for any negative impact our actions have had on the Beastie Boys. We never intended to cast the band in a negative light and we regret putting them in a position to defend themselves when they had done nothing wrong.

As engineers and builders of intellectual property, we understand an artist’s desire to have his or her work treated with respect. We should have reached out to the band before using their music in the video.

We know this is only one of the many mistakes we’re bound to make as we grow our business. The great thing about mistakes is how much you can learn from them. As trying as this experience was, we have learned a valuable lesson. From now on, we will secure the proper rights and permissions in advance of any promotions, and we advise any other young company to do the same.