Rihanna Sued by Photographer David LaChapelle Over 'S&M' Video
Rihanna is being taken to court by famed photographer David LaChapelle, who claims the pop superstar ripped off his iconic snapshots in her video for “S&M.”
LaChapelle, known for his doll-like portraits of everyone from Lil’ Kim to Eminem, has filed a lawsuit against the Bajan songstress for replicating approximately eight of his images in the Melina-directed clip.
He claims that “the music video is directly derived from and substantially similar to the LaChapelle works,” and that it copied the “composition, total concept, feel, tone, mood, theme, colors, props, settings, decors, wardrobe, and lighting” of some of his work. The lawsuit points to a specific image of Rihanna against a blue background with a piece of candy on her tongue.
The suit seeks unspecified damages. Meanwhile, the “S&M” video has racked up over 11.5 million views on YouTube since its debut on January 31.
David LaChapelle alleges that Rihanna copied this image, among others.