Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter is being sued in federal court for copyright infringement. Former background singer Ahmad Javon Lane claims the global star’s first single “XO” she digitally dropped from her eponymous album on Dec. 16, 2013, is actually a song originally written by him, “XOXO.” Lane is seeking $7 million in damages.
Filed in the United States District Court’s Southern District of New York, the 59 pages of legal documents asked a judge to dismiss the suit altogether because the claims are “vague and cryptic.”
Beyoncé’s lawyers claim the only thing the songs share are the letters X and O.
In album credits, Ryan Tedder, Terius “The-Dream” Nash, and Beyoncé are listed as co-writers and co-producers, but Lane says he gave the single to a fellow background singer, Chrissy Collins, prior to the release of the album that has sold 5 million copies.
The motion points out Beyoncé is a 17-time Grammy Award winner who has sold 118 million records during her career and there’s no lyrical or musical similarity between the two works.
Beyonce’s attorneys insist Ahmad’s song and Queen Bey’s do not share “melodic content and there is no meaningful similarity in pitch series, rhythm or rhythmic patterns, melodic development or structure.”
In comparing the lyrics of “XOXO” and “XO,” lawyers contend the former focused on “wanting to love every inch of the lover’s body,” while the latter emphasized spending time with a loved one “before our time has run out.”
The motion can be read in its entirety on radaronline.com.
