''Paul's Boutique'' At the Center of Case
12:00PM ET November 30th, 2012
Contributor : Stephen Willis
A Rocky Williform Company

The Beastie Boys are asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed against them by Tuf America due to unlicensed samples on the Beastie's critically-acclaimed 1989 album, Paul's Boutique. The company claims the group used portions of Trouble Funk songs on four different tracks on the album.

The Beastie Boys' attorneys claim that there aren't substantial similarities between the original recordings and the context in which they were used on the album.

The Beastie's lawyers are also asking to limit the liability due to the recordings being more than 20 years old.

"What precipitated Plaintiff to bring this action two decades after the release of the songs in question, and the day before the passing of defendant Adam Yauch, is not explained," said the lawyers. "Plaintiff is attempting to sidestep the Copyright Act's three-year statute of limitations and the defenses of laches and estoppel in light of its decades-long delay in taking any action."