UPDATED July 22, 8:15 p.m. ET: Beyoncé insists her LEMONADE visual album is not a copy of Palinoia.
According to TMZ, the 34-year-old singer has filed papers that point out the clear differences between the projects. The documents state that LEMONADE is about “an African-American woman who progresses through stages of suspicion, denial, anger and, ultimately, reconciliation in her relationship”; while Palinoia is about a "white man who is distressed in the wake of a failed relationship."
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Ever since her surprise self-titled album in 2013, Beyonce has been keen on coming up with new and inventive ways of unleashing her work onto the masses. And Lemonade, of course, was no exception. It came with its own HBO special, an hour-long celebration of feminism and black pride, and alluded to Jay Z’s alleged affair with Becky with the Good Hair. While the special hypnotized audiences and critics alike with its creativity (and that yellow dress), an independent filmmaker claims the trailer for the special is not so original.
Matthew Fulks is suing the singer for allegedly copying his short film, Palinoia, according to theHollywood Reporter. In the lawsuit filed in New York, he cites nine similarities between his piece and her minute-long teaser.
Fulks surmises that an opportunity presented itself when he was asked to direct a video for the group MS MR and links were sent out to Bryan Younce—who earned a credit on her self-titled album and worked on videos for the singer. He says Younce then reached out to confirm that he has his contact info and incited him to submit a treatment to Columbia. In a world where timing is everything, this was five mores before filming began for Lemonade.
In the suit, Fulks lists Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment along with Sony Music and Columbia Recording as defendants.
A rep for Beyonce did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.
