Update!

The Black Keys Get Sharp With Pizza Hut, Home Depot

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney sue both companies, claim neither properly licensed their tunes for respective commercials

By Natalie Finn Jun 25, 2012 9:07 PMTags
Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, The Black KeysEthan Miller/Getty Images

UPDATE: The Black Keys' attorneys informed a federal judge on Nov. 26 that they had settled their lawsuits against Pizza Hut and Home Depot and formal dismissals should be filed by early January. No settlement details were forthcoming.
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The Black Keys believe there should be more gold on their ceiling.

The Akron, Ohio-born duo has sued Pizza Hut and Home Depot, claiming that neither company properly licensed the Black Keys' music before using it in different commercials.

Maybe the companies just thought no one would notice amid all the Keys mania...

"We believe our advertising agency obtained all the proper rights for music used in the production of our Cheesy Bites advertising," Pizza Hut spokesman Christopher Fuller told E! News. "We are unaware of any issue, but will investigate it with them."

Said Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes: "We're still reviewing this complaint, but I can assure that respect for intellectual property is enormously important to us."

In separate federal complaints, filed June 21 and obtained by E! News, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney accuse the respective corporations of copyright infringement.

The Grammy winners allege that Pizza Hut wrongfully used the 2012 tune "Gold on the Ceiling" in a commercial for its Cheesy Bites Pizza, while Home Depot used "Lonely Boy" (also from their latest album, El Camino) in a TV spot for Ryobi brand power tools, also without obtaining legal permission.

Danger Mouse, aka Brian Burton, collaborated on the El Camino album and is listed as a coplaintiff.

They're all seeking damages, as well as an immediate injunction preventing further airing of the commercials so as to stop the "exploitation of their musical composition without authorization."

Earlier this year, apparently through more agreed-upon channels, "Gold on the Ceiling" was snagged by CBS to advertise its March Madness coverage, it was featured on an episode of NCIS and it was used in the trailer for Will Ferrell's latest movie, The Campaign.

"Lonely Boy," meanwhile, was featured on Workaholics, Hawaii 5-0 and Eastbound and Down, and Fox used it for a 2011 NFL playoff game highlights package.

—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum