Wednesday 28 December 2011

My love is your love. So is my copyright?

A shot from the Numéro 93 editorial
Two months after she settled a lawsuit for copyright infringement brought by photographer David LaChapelle for the video of her song S&M and faced another lawsuit from photographer Phillipp Paulus over a scene in the same video, pop idol Rihanna is back on the copyright scene.

As reported by The Huffington Post, her new Melina Matsoukas-directed video You da one (which was released last week) may result in another lawsuit being brought by Norwegian fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø.

Sundsbø has worked for clients such as Chanel, Cartier, Dolce&Gabbana, Hermès, H&M, Levis, Nike and YSL and has created editorials for leading fashion magazines.
Rihanna as she looks in her new
hit video

Among the other things, the photographer is known for his work with shadows and manipulated light, such as the editorial Points a la Ligne, which he created in 2008 for Numéro 93 magazine. This is a series of shots in which Lithuanian model Edita Vilkeviciute is portrayed with the shadows of various shapes projected on to her body.

 It now seems that the video of You da one is somehow similar to Sundsbø's pictures.

 In the b/w video, the Bajan singer wears a number of outfits and wigs, which are said to be inspired by Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange.

However, the scenes which show Rihanna in a bowl-cut wig while wearing a flesh coloured bodysuit, as shadows in the shape of stripes or dots create a pattern across her skin, may recall the images by Sundsbø.

We'll see what happens next. Stay tuned.

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