Beyonce’s been catching victories in all facets of life lately, and now, she can add a legal victory to the list – a New York federal judge just threw out a case involving an indie filmmaker and Bey’s visual album, Lemonade.
Back in June, independent filmmaker Matthew Fulks brought a lawsuit against the pop star and her Lemonade film, alleging that it copied various elements from one of his own works called Palinoia. According to Fulks, his main issues with Lemonade were shots that included graffiti walls, dimly-lit parking garages and overgrown grass. Naturally, Beyonce’s lawyers responded back to the claims, stating that those similarities are not instances of copyright infringement.
Her lawyers also note that Lemonade is about the trials and tribulations of a relationship of an African-American woman, while Palinoia was about a white man’s failed relationship. Fulks says that a Senior VP of Columbia Music saw his Palinoia film last year, which could be how the ideas were taken from him.
Either way, the judge felt that Beyonce’s case was stronger and ultimately decided to throw the lawsuit out of court. While a specific reason wasn’t given, it was stated that details would be released in the future.
Beyonce’s latest musical/visual album, Lemonade, was released this past May and has since gone on to sell over a million copies.