6 - Copyright and Fair Use

Back in 2017 Beyoncé has found herself in headlines once again, but not for the usual new award or dragging of a poor individual by the "Beyhive". Beyoncé is being sued over claims that she used a recorded line from a late New Orleans Rapper in her song 'Formation'. The estate of late YouTube Star Anthony Barre aka Messy Mya has filed a suit against Beyoncé for using the phrase "I like that" without permission. The track also uses Mya's: "What happened after New Orleans?" and "Bitch, I'm back. By popular demand" from Mya's video "Booking the Hoes from New Wilding at the very beginning of the song.

https://youtu.be/daKqgdcypTE?list=RDdaKqgdcypTE (Messy Mya | Booking The Hoes From New Wildin)

https://youtu.be/zsYOnx2xJuY (Beyoncé| Formation)

        

Beyoncé and her representatives are accused of ignoring the estate's attempts to communicate with her over the issue. Mya's estate is currently seeking more than $20,000,000 in royalties and other damages TMZ claims. Sony Music and Jay-Z entities were also named in the suit. Mya's sister is also seeking proper credit as a writer, composer, producer, and performer for her brother.  Mya was shot and killed in New Orleans in 2010 was known for his viral YouTube videos that mixed bounce music and comedy.

Formation was previously the subject of copyright controversy in 2016 when filmmakers Abteen Bagheri and Chris Black claimed they did not give Beyoncé or the video director permission to use footage from the documentary 'That B.E.A.T' a 2013 documentary about Hurricane Katrina. A representative for Beyoncé told Entertainment Weekly: "The documentary footage was used with permission and licensed from the owner of the footage."

Soon after the statement was made Bagheri told the Washington Post "Anyone who works in the industry knows that putting out a work is a miracle.

“There needs to be a unity amongst directors. We need to preserve the sanctity of the craft and champion individual voices. Our work isn’t just b-roll for someone else. It just shouldn’t be considered, whether or not it’s legal. It’s a bad precedent to set.”

(Original Article: http://masetv.com/estate-messy-mya-suing-beyonce-20m-formation-sample/)