Another day, another disgruntled Beyoncé stan comes for the Carter empire.
Shortly after releasing her now infamous “Lemonade” visual, an independent filmmaker from Louisville, Kenucky, Matthew Fulks, claimed Beyoncé totally ripped off his 2014 short film, Palinoia.
Now, Bey has responded to the claims, calling them ludicrous. On Friday, July 22, Beyonce’s legal team filed a motion claiming the suit should be thrown out of court, stating the works have nothing to do with each other.
“[A] straightforward comparison of the parties’ works provides a textbook example of what does not constitute legally cognizable claim of infringement,” the motion to dismiss reads, reports the Daily Mail.
Their grounds for dismissal? For one thing, the motion says that while Fulk alleges that about 39 seconds of the 65-second trailer are visually similar, it doesn’t tackle the topic of infidelity, a central theme of “Lemonade.” Not to mention the race and gender of the protagonists are reversed in the works.
“ ‘Palinoia’ is about a ‘tumultuous relationship’ that is now over. The protagonist is a White male and his former lover is a White blonde woman,” the motion reads. “The demise of their relationship is oblique, and is not tied to infidelity.” Meanwhile, “ ‘Lemonade,’ portrays the stages through which its African-American female protagonist goes in connection with an existing relationship, ending in reconciliation.”
The response also lists other ways in which the two films differ, including: “For the foregoing reasons, Defendants respectfully request that their motion to dismiss … be in all respects granted,” the motion concludes.
In the meantime, Fulks is seeking unspecified damages, claiming Bey’s management company, Parkwood Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment and Columbia Recording Corporation infringed on his copyright.
You be the judge. Check out the clip on the next page and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Did Bey bite Fulks idea?
