Please do not be alarmed—remain calm… Beyoncé‘s Parkwood Entertainment label has secured a legal victory in federal court.
In July 2025, Hirose Enterprises LLC, owned by Shuji Hirose, filed a lawsuit against the “Single Ladies” singer’s music label, alleging that it had used a sample from their 1998 song, “Moonraker,” without permission.
Their case was dismissed in late June 2026, though, after a judge said that the company had no legal grounds to sue because it filed its suit before the company was even formed.
Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE” album has been a cultural phenomenon since its summer 2022 release. During that time, the singer’s label faced other legal woes, as popular artists claimed she also used samples of their work in her songs without proper permission.
A U.S. district judge dismissed the copyright and breach-of-contract complaint filed by Hirose Enterprises in late June 2026, according to Billboard. In the original filing, Hirose claimed to own the rights to John Holiday’s 1998 song, “Moonraker,” which Queen Bey sampled in her 2022 single, “Alien Superstar.”
A rep from Parkwood Entertainment said that the label cleared the sample from Holiday himself, credited him as a songwriter on the track, and paid him $10,000 and 0.5% royalty share, per Complex. Despite that, Hirose claimed they were the true owners of the track and should’ve been involved in the administrative process.
The lawsuit, filed on July 29, 2025, was deemed invalid by the judge because Hirose Enterprises LLC was formed a week later in early August 2025.
A U.S. Judge Used Bey Lyrics In His Ruling On The Matter
The judge presiding over the copyright claim used lyrics from the song in question in his ruling.
“Please do not be alarmed, remain calm: like the DJ booth referenced in the works at issue, this district judge must conduct a troubleshoot test of the entire system—that is, a jurisdictional inquiry—before reaching any of the parties’ merits arguments,” he wrote. “Plaintiff had no legal existence at the time it brought suit, so it cannot have held a stake in the outcome of the litigation at the time it filed the complaint.”
“Alien Superstar” is the third track on Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning seventh studio album, “RENAISSANCE.” The album, released in July 2022, is all about self-expression and inspiring others to live their authentic lives. It’s also an ode to the LGBTQ+ community—a group of people Beyoncé thanked during the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Beyoncé Slammed English Duo Right Said Fred For Claiming She Sampled Their Work Without Permission
Hirose Enterprises LLC wasn’t the only party claiming Beyoncé and her team used samples from music they didn’t clear. In 2022, the English duo Right Said Fred attempted to take a swipe at Beyoncé on X, formerly Twitter, calling her “arrogant” for allegedly using a sample of their hit “I’m Too Sexy” without permission.
“Normally, the artist approaches us but Beyoncé didn’t because she is such an arrogant person. She just had probably thought ‘come and get me’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did. But everyone else, Drake and Taylor Swift, they came to us. To use our melody, they need our permission, so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so we get a co-write credit,” they wrote.
Queen Bey Paid Right Said Fred More Than Any Other Singular Writer On The Album
Prior to that, the group appeared to express their excitement about being featured on the project, writing, “It’s nice to get a writing credit on the new ‘Beyonce’ album. ‘Renaissance’ Credits: Drake, A. G. Cook, Syd, Right Said Fred, & More #Beyonce,” according to VIBE.
Beyoncé wouldn’t let the group’s claims slide, though, considering she and her team blasted their “erroneous and incredibly disparaging” comments in October 2022. “Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album,” the statement read.
Beyoncé and her team went on to say that, despite only using the composition of their song “I’m Too Sexy,” they were paid a considerable amount for approving the use. Additionally, Beyoncé said the Right Said Fred duo “own more than any other singular writer and have co-writer credit.”
Beyoncé’s Team Fired Back At A Designer Who Claimed They Weren’t Paid
Days later, on October 12, 2022, designer Nusi Quero alleged he wasn’t paid for styling work he did for the dance album. Two days later, a rep from Bey’s team told E! News that the claims were flat-out false.
“It is deeply troubling that designer Nusi Quero has posted damaging statements about Marni Senofonte regarding non-payments for work completed,” they said. “In fact, he was paid for his work, and there is proof of all payments made.”
The rep went on to say that two payments were made on May 9 and July 8. The third and final payment was returned due to an error on the designer’s part. After multiple attempts to reach him, a physical check was mailed on September 29.
