Photographer David LaChapelle says Rihanna’s latest music video “S&M”, directed by Melina Matsoukas rips off his photography. And he is not happy. In fact he is suing Rihanna and Matsoukas for copyright infringement of his eight images. His lawsuit calls “S&M” music video a, “willful, wanton and deliberate” infringement of his copyright protections. LaChapelle is seeking over $4 million in damages as well as attorney fees and costs of the lawsuit.
“This is not personal, strictly business,” LaChapelle said. “Musicians commonly pay to sample music or use someone’s beats and there should be no difference when ‘sampling’ artist’s visuals. I really like Riri — we’ve actually worked together before. I think about her every time I’m caught in the rain without my umbrella.”
Inspiration or Rip-off?
The new music video premiered on February 1st, causing quite an uproar due to its highly provocative nature and has since been banned in 11 countries.
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