It may be Rihanna's "S&M" video, but is it David LaChapelle's work?

According to CMU, prominent U.S. fashion photographer David LaChapelle is suing Rihanna and her team for creating a music video which is "directly derived" from a photo shoot he did for Vogue back in 2002. David LaChapelle states that Rihanna's "S&M" video appropriated eight of his images and that the video as a whole copied the "composition, total concept, feel, tone, mood, theme, colors, props, settings, decors, wardrobe, and lighting" of his photo shoot. Many have noted the similarities between the photo shoot and the video. How did David LaChapelle discover the similarities between the two works? People actually thought he had directed the video and contacted his studio to confirm his involvement! Not only have 11 countries banned Rihanna's "S&M" video for its sexual content, but now the team is facing some serious legal issues and may potentially have to fork up a hefty amount in damages. LaChapelle is seeking over $4 million in damages as well as attorney fees and costs of the lawsuit. The following images, taken from Daily Mail, show the similarities and differences between the images from the Rihanna video and LaChapelle's photo shoot. Rihanna's images are so striking similar to LaChapelle's photo shoot that a copyright infringement claim in favor of LaChapelle wouldn't be a surprise. Feel free to view the "S&M" video, here. Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on FriendFeed Share this on Reddit Post on Google Buzz Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on LinkedIn

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