Beyoncé Is Facing a Copyright Lawsuit Over Formation, and the Details Are Super Shady
Talk about a shocker! Just one week after Beyoncé broke the internet with news of her twin pregnancy, a lawsuit is being dropped in the singer’s lap. The case is a copyright suit brought on by the estate of a rapper called Messy Mya. Bey used a sample from his YouTube channel on Formation, but his family is crying foul and claiming infringement by seeking a $26 million settlement. Well, as news has leaked about the lawsuit, Twitter is blowing up with people pointing out that the suit probably has no merit, and its details are super shady.
The sample in question is actually from a vlog that Messy Mya posted to his YouTube channel where he says, “I like that!” The sample isn’t used on the album, but it is in the video for Formation. Twitter users are pointing out that since the sample isn’t on the album, Bey won’t profit from it, so suing for that reason would be moot.
Other users are pointing out that regular users like Mya hand over ownership of their vlogs to YouTube upon upload, so there’s probably a very good chance that Bey got approval to use the content from Google/YouTube directly.
She sampled Messy Mya's voice from a vlog on Youtube which is perfectly legal if you read their Terms and Conditions. pic.twitter.com/1v3e3u0bf0
— Check 4 a neck (@BeyonceMyRoc) February 8, 2017
While it remains to be seen exactly what Messy Mya’s family is trying to get out of this lawsuit, it doesn’t look like it will actually go anywhere. It’s also important to note that on the Formation credits, Bey thanks Messy Mya directly.
And just to put this out there, Messy Mya is indeed in the Lemonade credits. This case will get thrown out. 🕵️ pic.twitter.com/fNTfgGzjdY
— Check 4 a neck (@BeyonceMyRoc) February 8, 2017
What exactly is the end game here? We’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, we’ll be listening to Lemonade to prepare for this weekend’s Grammys. Or should we call them Beyoncés?
What’s your favorite single on Lemonade? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photo via Duane Prokop/Getty)