Beyoncé label seeks dismissal and sanctions in 'Alien Superstar' sample fight

Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's label and management company, asked a federal judge on Oct. 15 to permanently dismiss claims over the intro to "Alien Superstar".

The request targets a refiled lawsuit from Shuji Hirose, who says he owns the older recording sampled at the start of the track. Parkwood wants the case thrown out for good, with monetary sanctions against Hirose and his lawyer, DaShawn Hayes, according to court papers reported by Billboard.

"Alien Superstar" is a track from Beyoncé's 2022 album Renaissance. It peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022, the chart that counts United States sales, streams and radio play.

The opening samples "Moonraker", a 1998 track by John Holiday. A sample, a short reuse of an earlier recording inside a new song, normally needs clearance, meaning permission from rights holders in exchange for a fee or royalty share.

Parkwood says it cleared "Moonraker" directly with Holiday for $10,000 and a 0.5% share of "Alien Superstar" royalties. The figure was $10,000. The royalty cut was half a percent.

Hirose alleges he owns "Moonraker" and should have been part of that licensing process. His copyright infringement claims name Parkwood, Sony Music, Warner Chappell Music and Beyoncé. He is also suing Holiday for breach of contract, the claim that an agreement was broken.

The dispute turns on what Hirose says he owns. His original lawsuit stated that Holiday sold him half of the "Moonraker" publishing in 1998. Publishing is the share of songwriting rights that earns royalties when music is used.

His refiled lawsuit states something different. It says he bought 100% of the "Moonraker" copyright from Holiday.

Parkwood argues that shift warrants dismissal. Its legal team from Latham & Watkins described Hirose's claims as "objectively baseless" in the filing and said the conflicting ownership accounts, plus other defects, justify penalties against Hirose and Hayes.

This is the second round of the case. Judge Mark Scarsi dismissed the first copyright and breach of contract complaint in June for lack of standing, the legal right to bring a claim, as reported by Digital Music News. That dismissal came because the company plaintiff did not yet exist when it sued, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Hirose refiled two months later. A hearing on Parkwood's dismissal and sanctions motions is scheduled for February.