Originally published by Androvett Legal Media Blog.
The credits on Beyonce’s new album Lemonade give a nod to the band the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs for a lyric she uses in the chorus of her second song. Steve Mitby, a partner in the Houston-based law firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing, or AZA, says this was a smart move by the Houston-born pop star.
“This was well played by Beyonce. It is a huge risk for someone in a creative business to borrow anything without giving proper credit. We’ve seen this harm reputations again and again in academia, book and speech writing and in the music industry,” Mitby said.
“I tell clients to acknowledge any work they use substantially, or just in passing. What Beyonce did here is good business. The line between accepted sampling and copyright theft may be fuzzy, but giving credit where credit is due is an easy rule to follow,” Mitby said.
Artists from 2 Live Crew to Pharrell, and writers from Doris Kearns Goodwin to Mike Barnicle, have come under fire for uncredited references to others. Even Vice President Joe Biden was accused of plagiarism. It appears Beyonce will avoid those perils.
Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.
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