Beyoncé is being sued for her "Lemonade" video trailer. Apparently, the singer may have copied the content from an independent filmmaker's work.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Fulks has sued the "Formation" singer for copying his work without permission. Beyoncé's "Lemonade" video trailer is allegedly copied from Fulks' short film entitled "Palinoia."
Fulks is an independent filmmaker and creative director at WDRB. In the complaint, he claimed that someone reached out to him about directing a video by musical group MS MR. With this, links to "Palinoia" were sent to several people including Bryan Younce.
Younce has created videos for Beyoncé. He was also placed on the credits of her self-titled 2013 album.
Apparently, in Jul. 2015, Younce requested for Fulks' email. Afterwards, he sent the independent filmmaker an acknowledgement that he had received his "info."
"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 complaint read. "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."
Rolling Stone reported that Matthew Fulks' complaint included nine side-by-side comparisons between "Palinoia" and Beyoncé's "Lemonade" video trailer. The similar scenes totaled 39 seconds out of the 60-second clip.
Fulks is asking for compensation for damages as well as profits that can be ascribed to the exploitation and copyright infringement of "Palinoia." It could include profits from the sale of "Lemonade" in all media formats.
BuzzFeed collated the images from Fulks complaint. The photos included similar scenes and angles, red lighting and obscured characters' eyes, scenes in a parking garage and stairwell and even the same concept for the title cards.
LA Times noted that Beyoncé's "Lemonade" video trailer was posted on YouTube last Apr. 17. It has garnered over 10 million views since.
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