In response to a lawsuit alleging that the Beastie Boys [ tickets ], on their 1992 track "Pass the Mic," used a snippet from flautist James W. Newton's 1982 song "Choir" illegally, the Beasties have issued a statement claiming that they got permission to use the six-second, one-note sample.

"We obtained and paid for all necessary clearances for this sample," said Beastie Boys' Mike D. "We dealt directly with ECM Records, the owner of the master recording, and lived up fully to the agreement we made with them."

In the suit, Newton acknowledges that the Beastie Boys [ tickets ] got ECM's permission to use the sample, but he claims that the label didn't have the right to grant permission.

Besides the Beastie Boys, Newton's suit also names producer Mario Caldato Jr., Capitol Records, Grand Royal Records, Brooklyn Dust Music, and Universal Polygram International Publishing.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California earlier this month.