Photo: Screenshot & Philipp Paulus
It's been watched by near 49 million people, but according to photographer Philipp Paulus, Rihanna's 'S&M' video features scenes that have been directly lifted from his work.
After failed attempts by Paulus's lawyer to make an out of court settlement with Rihanna's label Universal Music, Paulus will now be taking legal action against the music label.
The New-York based photographer claims scenes in Rihanna's bondage-themed music video were based on his fashion photography series 'Paperworld.'
Paulus's work, which is pictured above right, sees a woman pinned against a wall using clear plastic wrapping, with black X-marks around her. Rihanna replicates this image in her video, pictured above left, with no credit to Paulus.
Watch the video for 'S&M' below
In a statement, Paulus said: "Why a worldwide celebrity is not able to afford a creative director, who creates individual concepts and stagings, is uncomprehensible for me."
He added, "While I really respect Rhianna's [sic] talents as a musician, nevertheless it is important to respect the creations of others."
'S&M' was taken from Rihanna's 2010 album Loud, and has sold nearly 6 million copies worldwide.
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