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OFF BEAT: Beastie Boys, toy company settle dueling disputes over 'Girls'

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Toy company GoldieBlox Inc. seemingly reached a settlement that was just right after the firm and the hip-hop group Beastie Boys sued each other in federal court last fall.

Oakland, Calif.-based GoldieBlox released a commercial in November featuring a parody version of the Beastie Boys’ “highly sexist song ‘Girls,’ ” according to a complaint filed by GoldieBlox in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The company says it makes toys that encourage girls to develop science, engineering and technology skills.

The original version of “Girls,” released in 1987, says girls should “do the dishes” and “do the laundry” for the band’s three members. The GoldieBlox version wants girls “to build a spaceship” and “to code a new app.”

GoldieBlox preemptively sued the Beastie Boys and their record label Island Def Jam Music Group in federal court to seek a judgment of fair use of “Girls” and non-infringement of copyright, court records show. The Beastie Boys and Island Def Jam countersued for copyright and trademark infringement, among other claims.

“GoldieBlox created its parody video specifically to comment on 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 complaint reads.

The Beastie Boys and GoldieBlox opted to settle their claims, and a federal judge dismissed the case with prejudice, according to a court filing on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in court documents or in media reports.