The Black Keys File Copyright Infringement Suits Against Pizza Hut & The Home Depot

The Black Keys has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against The Home Depot and Pizza Hut. The alternative rock band filed the federal lawsuits last week, claiming Home Depot did not have permission to use the hit song, “Lonely Boy,” in an ad promoting power tools and that Pizza Hut misused “Gold on the Ceiling” in a recent ad. Both songs appeared on the rock group’s seventh album, El Camino, which was released last year and has sold nearly 840,000 copies. The Black Keys are comprised of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

The cases seek unspecified damages of more than $75,000 apiece and an order preventing the continued use of the songs in the commercials. Neither company received permission to use musical elements from the songs, and reportedly tried to sneak the tracks in since they didn’t include any vocals. “Lonely Boy” and “Gold on the Ceiling” both topped the Billboard alternative music chart after their release. The Black Keys won two Grammy Awards in 2010 for music from their album Brothers, which won the Best Alternative Music Album award that year.
The Black Keys
“We haven’t seen the complaint yet, but respect for intellectual property rights is a matter we take very seriously,” said Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes. Pizza Hut spokesman Christopher Fuller said the company also hasn’t seen the case, but fully respects artists’ rights.

The suits claim both companies were given written notices that the ads misused The Black Keys’ music. The Home Depot ad touts Ryobi power tools, while the Pizza Hut ad touts its new “Cheesy Bites Pizza.”

We’re also getting chatter that Brian Burton, AKA Danger Mouse, is also suing the companies for infringement.

Author: FutureMusic

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