When Beyoncé released her HBO special and new album, Lemonade, fans went crazy. Not only because of its creativity but also for the hard-hitting claims Bey made about family and infidelity. However, the visual album is once again making headlines, but this time for very different reasons.
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According to a new lawsuit filed in New York, independent filmmaker and creative director at WDRB Matthew Fulks claims that the trailer for Lemonade, which was uploaded to YouTube one week before it officially dropped, bears an uncanny resemblance to his short film, “Palinoia,” The Hollywood Reporter states.
Fulks names Sony Music, Columbia Recording and Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment in the lawsuit and even has some theories as to how they got their hands on his work. According to the publication, Fulks (the plaintiff) claims he was contacted about an opportunity to direct a video by musical group MS MR (who are signed by Columbia), and this resulted in links to “Palinoia” being sent to a number of people, including Bryan Younce — who has previously created videos for Beyoncé.
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In the lawsuit, Fulks notes that there are reportedly nine visual similarities in that of the trailer and his film — including “black and white eyes,” “feet on the street,” “red persons with eyes obscured,” “stairwell” and “parking garage” — something which he is obviously very unhappy about.
“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 states. “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.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fulks is demanding all profits attributed to exploitation of his work, including those from sales of the Lemonade album.
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But what do you think? Watch the videos below and let us know your thoughts on the claims.
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