Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy Co.
| Decision Date | 04 December 2014 |
| Docket Number | No. 12 Civ. 6065PAE.,12 Civ. 6065PAE. |
| Citation | 66 F.Supp.3d 424,113 U.S.P.Q.2d 1658 |
| Parties | BEASTIE BOYS, et al., Plaintiffs, v. MONSTER ENERGY COMPANY, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York |
Kevin Ronald Puvalowski, Paul Wendell Garrity, Theodore Conrad Max, Valentina Shenderovich, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP, Thomas McKee Monahan, Storch Amini & Munves, P.C., New York, NY, for Plaintiffs.
Adam M. Cohen, Dana Michelle Susman, Linda Marie Dougherty, S. Reid Kahn, Tanya Claire Pohl, Kane Kessler, P.C., Kevin Ronald Puvalowski, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP, New York, NY, for Defendant.
Between May 27 and June 5, 2014, the Court presided over a jury trial in which the hip-hop group the Beastie Boys and affiliated plaintiffs1 (collectively, the “Beastie Boys”) pursued claims against Monster Energy Company (“Monster”), the beverage company. The jury found in the Beastie Boys' favor on both of their claims: for copyright infringement in violation of the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq., and false endorsement in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq. These claims arose out of Monster's creation and dissemination of a promotional video that, without the Beastie Boys' knowledge or permission, used portions of five songs composed and recorded by the Beastie Boys as its soundtrack and included other references to the Beastie Boys. The jury awarded the Beastie Boys, on the copyright claim, alternative awards of $1 million in actual and $1.2 million in statutory damages; and on the Lanham Act claim, $500,000 in damages, the jury having found that Monster had intended to deceive consumers, a prerequisite to awarding money damages for a Lanham Act violation.
This decision resolves Monster's post-trial motions. Monster moves for a judgment as a matter of law under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50. As to the Copyright Act claim, Monster argues that the evidence was insufficient to support the finding of willful infringement on which the award of enhanced statutory damages was based. As to the Lanham Act claim, Monster argues that the evidence was insufficient to support either a finding of a false endorsement or that Monster acted with intentional deception. Monster alternatively moves for a new trial under Rule 59 or for a reduction in damages. For the following reasons, Monster's motions are denied.
The Beastie Boys are a famous hip-hop group that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. See Trial Transcript (“Tr.”) 103–05, 526–28, 869. During their recording career, which dates to the early 1980s, the Beastie Boys were composed of three members: Adam Horovitz, who goes by the stage name “Ad–Rock”; Michael Diamond, who goes by the stage name “Mike D”; and Adam Yauch, now deceased, who went by the stage name “MCA.” Tr. 105–06, 864, 870. As of trial, the Beastie Boys had sold more than 20 million albums in the United States and 40 million worldwide. Tr. 527, 1477. The Beastie Boys have licensed their music for movies, television shows, sporting events, charitable causes, and other creative projects, but rarely, if ever, for product advertisements. Tr. 118–20, 275, 864–65.2 On May 4, 2012, Yauch died of cancer
. Tr. 106,458–59. The surviving members of the Beastie Boys have since stated that they will no longer continue their careers as a group, in deference to Yauch. See Tr. 864.
Monster is a well-known energy drink company. Tr. 997. It is known for its imaginative and decidedly non-traditional approach to advertising. Rather than promoting its drinks in television ads or on billboards, as do many other beverage companies, Monster engages in what it calls “lifestyle marketing.” This entails sponsoring action-sport athletes and musicians, promoting concert and “festival-styled” tours, and hosting events. Tr. 1059, 1351–54; PX 221. Monster's advertising goal is to create an aggressive and fun “brand personality,” which will lead consumers to associate its beverages with music, action sports, video games, and attractive girls. Tr. 1001–02; PX 221 (“Monster is a lifestyle in a can.”).
Among the key demographic groups that Monster seeks to reach are fans of extreme sports and hip-hop music. At one point, Monster's director of music marketing considered approaching the Beastie Boys about a sponsorship agreement, believing that the Beastie Boys' core “audience was similar to a Monster consumer.” Tr. 1379. However, he determined that Monster's budget did not permit it to hire such a prominent group. See Tr. 1379.
As part of its marketing efforts, Monster organizes and sponsors an annual event called the “Ruckus in the Rockies,” which consists of a snowboarding competition and an after-party. Tr. 1092–93. On May 5, 2012, coincidentally the day after Yauch died, Monster held the second annual Ruckus in the Rockies at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. Tr. 1101–03; PX 145, PX 200. Monster booked various disc jockeys (“DJs”) to perform at the after-party. Tr. 359, 454, 1096.
One such DJ was Zach Sciacca, who records and performs under the name “Z–Trip.” Tr. 356, 954, 964–65, 1096–99; PX 145, PX 200. In early 2011, Z–Trip had entered into an agreement with the Beastie Boys to create a remix of some of their songs to promote the group's then-upcoming album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part II.” Tr. 194–96, 278–279, 356–57, 954–58, 969. Under the agreement, Z–Trip was authorized to offer the remix for free as a promotional item. However, Z–Trip did not have the right to sell or license the remix, or to authorize third-parties to use it. Nor did he obtain any rights to the underlying Beastie Boys songs. See Tr. 278–279, 306, 358–59, 973, 975–76. On April 30, 2011, Z–Trip posted the remix on his website, where fans could download or stream it for free. Tr. 197–98, 359, 446–47, 451, 971–72; DX 88. The remix was entitled “Beastie Boys All–Access Megamix” (the “Megamix”). See Tr. 429–30.
At the 2012 Ruckus in the Rockies after-party, Z–Trip performed for 90 minutes. Tr. 457. His set included Beastie Boys music, in part to honor Yauch; other DJs also played music by the Beastie Boys. Tr. 457–58. At some point, Z–Trip said to the crowd, “Rest in peace, MCA.” Tr. 459.
Soon after the 2012 Ruckus, Monster's regional marketing director, Nelson Phillips, worked with videographer Clayton Larsen to create a recap video with highlights from the event. Tr. 1114–16. Phillips intended to use the video to promote the Monster brand. Tr. 1159, 1163. For the video's soundtrack, Phillips directed Larsen to use excerpts from Z–Trip's Megamix of Beastie Boys songs. Tr. 1114–15. Monster never obtained, or attempted to obtain, permission from the Beastie Boys or their management to use the Beastie Boys' music in the video. See, e.g., Tr. 121–22, 256, 875–76, 1115–16, 1173, 1316–17.
At trial, Phillips testified that he believed that Z–Trip, by his words and conduct, had authorized Phillips to use the Megamix, including the underlying Beastie Boys' songs, in Monster's promotional video. Tr. 1115–16; see also Tr. 1170 (Phillips) ( ). Phillips testified that Z–Trip had conveyed this authorization to him orally, during a conversation in the after-party's “green room”; Z–Trip denied having any such conversation, or giving any such authorization, or telling anyone at Monster that he had any rights in the Beastie Boys' music. See Tr. 369–70, 456–57, 496. Phillips further claimed that Z–Trip's authorization to use the Beastie Boys' songs in the promotional video could be inferred from a short email exchange in which he sent the video to Z–Trip for “approv[al],” and Z–Trip responded, “Dope!” Tr. 1119, 1121; PX 134. This email exchange, and Phillips' and Z–Trip's respective accounts of their oral communications—both relevant to plaintiffs' claim of willful copyright infringement—are reviewed at length infra, pp. 437–39.
Monster's promotional video is just over four minutes long. See PX 211 (“video”). It consists of footage from the 2012 Ruckus, including a road trip to Lake Louise, the snowboarding competition, and the after-party. Monster's green logo is ubiquitous in the video: It appears, among other places, on apparel, snowboarding ramps, banners surrounding the snowboarding course, and cans of Monster energy drinks held by promotional models and DJs. The Beastie Boys' music is also ubiquitous: The video's soundtrack consists of excerpts from five Beastie Boys songs: “Pass the Mic,” “So Whatcha Want,” “Sabotage,” “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,” and “Make Some Noise.” The video does not contain any voice-overs, narration, or interviews; the Beastie Boys' music, which fills all but 32 seconds of the video, is the main aural event.
Near the end of the video, the credits roll in neon green and grey text, Monster's official brand colors. In pertinent part, the credits read:
MUSIC
ALL–ACCESS BEASTIE BOYS MEGA MIX
COURTESY OF Z–TRIP
DOWNLOAD THE LINK FOR FREE AT
Video at 3:51–3:53. The next screen reads “RIP MCA.” Id. at 3:54–3:58.3
On May 9, 2012, Monster posted the video on its website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.See Tr. 307, 531, 1119–21, 1124–26, 1266; PX 135, PX 142, PX 150, PX 200, PX 270. The description of the video read: PX 135, PX 150, PX 270; see also Tr. 708, 835. Monster also sent press releases to various snowboarding magazines and websites; these included the same language. Tr. 1126–29; PX 165, PX 276. “Dozens” of websites posted Monster's release verbatim, including the reference to the Beastie Boys Megamix. See PX 165; see also, e.g., PX 164, PX 276.
A few weeks later, Monster received a letter from counsel for the Beastie Boys, which stated that Monster did not have permission...
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