Rihanna Sued By Another Photographer Over ‘S&M’ Video
Rihanna is being sued by another photographer claiming that she and director Melina Matsoukas ripped off their images for the “S&M” music video. Back in February, celebrity photographer and filmmaker David LaChappelle filed a suit against the singer, Def Jam Recordings and Black Dog Films alleging that eight scenes from the clip were directly lifted from his work. This time around, fashion photographer Philip Paulus is claiming that one shot in which the singer is pressed up against a cellophane-like wall marked with X’s is derived from his Paperworld series.
Rihanna’s defense team has countered LaChappelle’s complaint by suggesting that the photographer was “effectively trying to monopolize an entire subject matter or genre in two different mediums.” Her lawyers have stated that since the nature of film and photography are very different, the effect of the work changes even if the subject matte and imagery are similar.