Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
Beyonce has responded to Messy Mya’s estate’s $20 million lawsuit over her record, “Formation.” According to The Jasmine Brand, Bey’s legal team appeared in court last week demanding that the lawsuit be dismissed. Bey has said that the estate “grossly overstated” the use of the late Messy Mya’s YouTube video. Bey went on to say that she only used 10 seconds of audio from two of his videos in her “Formation” video.
Her team reportedly contacted the estate and obtained a license, however, Beyonce was still hit with a lawsuit after the video premiered.
- She adds that even if she hadn’t obtained a license, the use is “protected by the fair-use doctrine.”
- As previously reported, the estate claimed Beyonce used a sample from Messy Mya’s 2010 video, “A 27 Piece Huh?,” where he says, “I like that.”
- The estate is suing for royalties and other damages.
Source: Columbia Records
Here’s the backstory: Earlier this year, the pop star was sued by the Estate of Anthony Barre – aka Messy Mya – accusing her of illegally sampling his work in her song “Formation” without permission.
The estate claimed Beyonce used a minor but memorable sample from Messy Mya’s 2010 video “A 27 Piece Huh?”. They accused her of using the short sample throughout her track in which he says,
Barré was a huge YouTube star prior to him being killed in 2010. The estate said they contacted the singer & her team to work out the issues but they were blown off
The estate sued for $20,000,000 for royalties and other damages.
Watch Beyonce’s “Formation” Video below.
