From Music Business Worldwide · · 2m
Beyoncé’s Parkwood sues Hirose for baseless lawsuit
Beyoncé’s Parkwood asks court to make plaintiff and lawyer pay for 'objectively baseless' second lawsuit over Alien Superstar sample.
In brief
Beyoncé’s Parkwood asks court to make plaintiff and lawyer pay for 'objectively baseless' second lawsuit over Alien Superstar sample. Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment seeks court sanctions against Shuji Hirose and his lawyer for filing a second lawsuit claiming unauthorized use of a 1998 sample in Alien Superstar…
Parkwood sues Hirose for second lawsuit
Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment wants former label boss Shuji Hirose and his lawyer DaShawn Hayes to pay legal costs for a second lawsuit over the sample that opens Alien Superstar.
“Beyoncé’s Parkwood wants the former label boss suing it over the sample that opens Alien Superstar, and his lawyer, to pay its legal bills.”
Second lawsuit filed after dismissal
Parkwood filed motions with a federal court in Los Angeles on October 15, 2026, asking to throw out the case and penalize Hirose and his lawyer for bringing it.
“In motions filed with a federal court in Los Angeles on October 15, Parkwood asked a judge to throw out the case permanently and to penalize Shuji Hirose and his attorney, DaShawn Hayes, for bringing it.”
Hirose claims rights transfer
Hirose claims John Holiday transferred Moonraker rights to Soundmen on Wax in 1998, keeping only equal publishing revenue shares.
“Hirose, who ran the now-defunct New York label Soundmen on Wax, claims that Holiday signed all of his rights in both the recording and the underlying composition over to that label in 1998, keeping only an equal share of the publishing revenue, and so had nothing to license.”
Contradicting sworn statements
Parkwood says Hirose’s sworn statements in the first case contradict his current claims about Moonraker rights.
“Parkwood maintains that the new case rests on claims that directly contradict what Hirose said under oath in that earlier case.”
First lawsuit dismissed
The first lawsuit was dismissed on June 26, 2026, because the Florida company Hirose Enterprises, LLC was not formed until eight days after suing.
“US District Judge Mark C. Scarsi dismissed it on June 26, 2026, after finding that the company had not been formed until eight days after it sued.”
Hirose refiles with new entities
Hirose refiled on August 10, 2026, suing in his own name alongside a Delaware company, Hirose Enterprise LLC, and naming Beyoncé personally as a defendant.
“Hirose refiled on August 10, this time suing in his own name alongside a Delaware company, Hirose Enterprise LLC, and naming Beyoncé personally as a defendant.”
Parkwood’s legal claims
Parkwood says Hirose has returned to court four times, citing six agreements that allegedly transfer Moonraker rights from Soundmen on Wax to Hirose and his companies.
“Parkwood says that Hirose 'returns to this Court for the fourth time,' counting the three versions of the complaint filed in the first case.”
Copyright registration issue
The Delaware company’s certificate of formation was canceled but revived in April 2026, yet it was named on a March 2025 US Copyright Office registration for Moonraker.
“The joint filing calls this 'factually and chronologically impossible.' It says the application cited a 'written transfer' to the company, though the complaint identifies no such document before July 2026.”
Parkwood’s legal defense
Parkwood argues the lawsuit was filed too late, as copyright claims must be filed within three years, and the repudiation of rights occurred in January 2023.
“In its view, the repudiation came in January 2023, when it kept using the sample after Hirose’s lawyer put it on notice that the use was unauthorized.”
Parkwood seeks sanctions
Parkwood wants the court to strike the complaint, dismiss the claims with prejudice, and order Hirose and his lawyer to reimburse legal costs and pay monetary sanctions.
“Parkwood wants the court to strike the complaint, dismiss the claims with prejudice, and order Hayes and Hirose to reimburse the legal fees and costs it has incurred in defending the case.”
In short
Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment seeks court sanctions against Shuji Hirose and his lawyer for filing a second lawsuit claiming unauthorized use of a 1998 sample in Alien Superstar, which Parkwood says contradicts prior sworn statements.
