Sour filmmaker sues Beyoncé over Lemonade trailer
Matthew Fulks claims ideas stolen from 2014 short, Palinoia
An independent filmmaker filed a federal lawsuit against Beyoncé on Wednesday alleging that ideas from his 2014 short film were used to create the trailer that accompanied her new visual album Lemonade.
Matthew Fulks alleges in his lawsuit that his 2014 short film, Palinoia, had been seen by members of the team working on the Lemonade video and that Beyoncé's video was created months later and was "visually similar."
Fulks, who lives in Louisville, Ky., alleges that the pop singer, her management company, Parkwood Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment and Columbia Recording Corporation, infringed on his copyright.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, points to nine instances — about 39 seconds of the 65-second trailer — that Fulks says are visually similar. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.
The Lemonade trailer is "substantially similar" to Fulks' film, including a similar mood, setting, pace and fonts, he says in the lawsuit.
The video, posted on YouTube on April 17, had received nearly 11 million views by Wednesday afternoon.
Representatives for Beyoncé and the corporations did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
