Black Keys Copyright Claims Denied By Pizza Hut, Home Depot

Earlier this summer, the Black Keys fired off a pair of copyright infringement lawsuits against Pizza Hut and the Home Depot, alleging that music used in the companies' commercials was too similar to their originals.

Now, both companies have hit back, in separate court documents filed in Los Angeles. Each company is also asking a judge to have the band pay their attorneys' fees if they win the case.

At the heart of the suit are pair of commercials — one for Pizza Hut's Cheesy Bites Pizza, the other promoting Ryobi power tools — which were scored with music that, the Keys believe, sounded too similar to their hits "Gold on the Ceiling" and "Lonely Boy," respectively. A spokesperson for the band told The Associated Press that, after consulting with several "experts," they received "confirm[ation] that this was copyright infringement."

The band is seeking damages "of more than $75,000 a piece" and an order preventing the continued use of the songs in the spots in their claim, according to the AP. At the time the suit was filed, reps for Pizza Hut said they had yet to review the documents, while a spokesperson for the Home Depot said that "respect for intellectual property rights is a matter we take very seriously."

A rep for the Black Keys did not respond to MTV News' request for comment on Pizza Hut's or the Home Depot's latest filings by press time.