Record label sues Behr Paint over use of The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black'

Posted By: Staff
November 13, 2025 @ 2:30 pm
Music News

The Rolling Stones from left: drummer Charlie Watts, guitarist Keith Richards, bassist Bill Wyman, singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Brian Jones at London Airport, June 23rd 1966. (Photo by George Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Rolling Stones’ iconic tune “Paint It Black” is the subject of a new lawsuit filed against Behr Paint.

ABCKO Music & Records, owner of The Stones’ early master recordings, is suing the paint company for copyright infringement for using the 1966 chart-topper in an advertisement for its paint products that appeared on social media.

The suit notes that Behr didn’t pay ABCKO to use the song, while most third parties “pay significant fees,” which they say range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to license such ABKCO recordings for ads.

According to the suit, the “commercial use of the ABKCO Recording has forced a business association upon ABKCO that has harmed its ability to license the ABKCO Recording to Behr’s competitors that would pay for the use” of the song.

ABKCO is claiming it “suffered significant damages” thanks to the unauthorized use of “Paint it Black,” adding Behr’s “acts of infringement have been willful, in reckless disregard of and with indifference to” ABKCO’s rights.

ABKCO is seeking actual damages, to be proven at trial, recovery of any profits Behr made off the use of the song, plus statutory damages and lawyers’ fees.