Looks like Beyonce’s Lemonade is still the talk of the town… For the good and the bad! Just yesterday RIAA reported that the visual album went platinum. Unfortunately, some bad news followed that announcement–Queen Bey is being sued.
Say what?!
Yes. So apparently, filmmaker, Matthew Fulks filed a lawsuit against Bey claiming that Lemonade’s trailer was copied from his short film, Palinoia.
Billboard reports that in the lawsuit Matthew assumes that Columbia Recording, Sony Music, and Parkwood Entertainment got access to Palinoia when he was contacted by MS MR, one of Columbia’s signed music groups, to direct a video. He claims that during that process, a link to Palinoia was sent out to other outlets and important people. Bryan Younce was among those who received the link.
Bryan Younce is credited for creating videos and assisting with production on a few Beyonce projects.
The finger is pointed specifically at Bryan in one instance in the lawsuit when Matthew recalls Bryan requesting Matthew’s email and then acknowledging “he had received his “info” with invitation to submit a treatment for consideration by Columbia.” It was just five months later that Lemonade’s film and trailer began.
“The number of aesthetic decisions included in Plaintiff’s PALINOIA Work that are parroted in Defendants’ LEMONADE Trailer demonstrates that the LEMONADE Trailer is substantially similar to the PALINOIA Work,” the lawsuit reads. “The misappropriated content includes both the particular elements that the Plaintiff chose to comprise the PALINOIA Work and the coordination and arrangement of those particular elements.”
There are nine similarities between Lemonade’s trailer and Palinoia — making up 39 of the 60 second video.
The similarities according to the lawsuit are:
1 – “graffiti and persons with heads down,”
2- “red persons with eyes obscured,”
3 – “parking garage,”
4 – “stairwell,”
5 – “black and white eyes,”
6 – “title card screens,”
7 – ” the grass scene,”
8 – “feet on the street,”
9 – “side-lit ominous figures,”
As a result, Matthew wants all profits from the attributed copied ideas — that Includes money from the Lemonade album.
Sheesh!! Let’s chat below!
Source: Billboard, http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7400344/beyonce-lemonade-trailer-lawsuit
TSR STAFF: Chantel P.! @_popchanny on IG!
