GoldieBlox Changes Music in Viral Video to Appease Beastie Boys

No more fair use argument.

  • Share
  • Read Later

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIGyVa5Xftw#t=46]

GoldieBlox, a company that makes engineering toys for girls and swept the Internet this week with a viral video, has released a new version of its ad after a conflict over the music that plays in the background.

In the video (which already has over 8 million views on YouTube), three adorable girls build a giant Rube Goldberg machine out of toys to the tune of the Beastie Boys’ “Girls.” While the original song has misogynistic lyrics about finding girls to “do the dishes” and “clean the laundry,” the GoldieBlox version sings about girls who want to “build a spaceship” and “code a new app.”

The Beastie Boys called up GoldieBlox to say that, on his deathbed, one of their members, Adam Yauch, said he never wanted the song to be used in commercials. In response, GoldieBlox preemptively sued the Beastie Boys, claiming that their use of “Girls” is fair use and does not constitute copyright infringement. The controversy has sparked a debate about the right to parody on Twitter.

But GoldieBlox quickly changed its tune. Late Tuesday night, GoldieBlox uploaded a new video to YouTube — sans song and lyrics of any sort. GoldieBlox also posted a “Letter to the Beastie Boys” on their site Wednesday that apologizes for the use of the song.