Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment Slams Second Lawsuit Over “Alien Superstar” Sample, Calls Copyright Allegations ‘Objectively Baseless’

Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment Slams Second Lawsuit Over “Alien Superstar” Sample, Calls Copyright Allegations ‘Objectively Baseless’

#Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment is firing back at a second lawsuit over a sample used in her 2022 hit “Alien Superstar.”

In court documents filed Thursday (Oct. 15) and obtained by Billboard, the singer’s label and management company asked a judge to permanently dismiss the case and impose financial penalties against music catalog owner Shuji Hirose and his attorney, DaShawn Hayes. The dispute centers on a sample from John Holiday’s 1998 track “Moonraker,” which #Parkwood says it legally cleared with Holiday for $10,000 and a 0.5% royalty share. However, Hirose claims he owns the rights to the original track and should have been involved in the licensing process.

Hirose’s initial lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality in June before he refiled two months later. Now, Parkwood is accusing him of changing his story, pointing out that his original complaint claimed he owned 50% of the “Moonraker” publishing rights, while the new filing alleges he owns 100%. “These new allegations cannot be squared with Mr. Hirose’s prior sworn statements,” Parkwood’s attorneys argued, adding that the claims are “objectively baseless.” The lawsuit also names Beyonce, #SonyMusic and Warner Chappell Music as defendants, while Holiday faces a breach of contract claim. A hearing is scheduled for February.