With a view count crossing the 8.5 million mark, toymaker GoldieBlox‘s Princess Machine ad is well into viral territory, and with good reason. The awesome, house-spanning Rube Goldberg mechanism, the three sweet little girls of varying racial backgrounds (because diversity), the company’s message of breaking down gender stereotypes and empowering girls to aspire to be scientists and engineers rather than just princesses and fairies, and the adorable reworking of Beastie Boys‘ 1987 misogynistic ode to girls, ‘Girls’, is a winning combination.
Turns out you’ve gotta fight for your right to parody though: The Beastie Boys had not given GoldieBlox a Licence To Ill use the song in their ad (joke version or otherwise), and they ain’t happy. Now, the toy company has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Adam Horowitz (Ad Rock) and producer Rick Rubin, alleging that legal threats have been made by a representative of the Beastie Boys, and claiming that their use of the song is protected as a parody under US Fair Use laws.
In response, The Beastie Boys have further proved that 2013 is the year of the open letter, restating their stance on the use of their music in commercials and denying that legal threats had been made, via the New York Times:
“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.”
According to the lawsuit filed against the band,
“GoldieBlox created its parody video with specific goals to make fun of
the Beastie Boys song, and to further the company’s goal to break down
gender stereotypes and to encourage young girls to engage in activities
that challenge their intellect, particularly in the fields of science,
technology, engineering and math. The GoldieBlox Girls Parody Video has
gone viral on the Internet and has been recognized by the press and the
public as a parody and criticism of the original song.” In an effort to protect themselves, GoldieBlox have requested the
Beasties be prevented from being able to enforce copyright claims
“including through the use of DMCA takedown notices or otherwise.”
The Beastie Boys have made no secret of their disdain for selling out: they sued Monster Energy Drink for copyright infringement late last year, and their “conscious decision” to keep away from commercial endorsement was even mentioned in the late MCA‘s will.
Check out the GoldieBlox ad, followed by the Beastie Boys original, below.
Via Stereogum
