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ABKCO Sues Behr Over Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It, BlackInstagram Ad

The label says the paint maker used the 1966 recording in a social post without permission, undermining a licensing market where such uses command substantial fees.

Overview

  • ABKCO filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, case No. 8:25-cv-02530.
  • The suit alleges Behr reproduced and publicly performed the ABKCO-owned master without authorization and seeks actual and statutory damages, disgorgement of profits, and attorneys’ fees.
  • ABKCO says Behr used the track in a 2022 Instagram post, the label discovered it in June 2025, notified Behr in August, and received no further engagement; Behr has not commented.
  • The post appears to have been removed from Behr’s archive, though unofficial copies persist online, and one circulating clip includes a brief Goodfellas snippet that could raise additional rights questions.
  • ABKCO controls the Stones’ 1960s masters and routinely licenses them for ads, and it is represented in this case by Pryor Cashman attorneys Benjamin S. Akley and Shamar Toms-Anthony.