A federal judge has handed Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment a decisive courtroom victory after dismissing a copyright lawsuit tied to the opening moments of "Alien Superstar," one of the standout tracks from her Grammy-winning Renaissance album. The ruling ends—for now—a legal challenge over the song's spoken-word introduction, though the plaintiff says the fight isn't over.
According to Billboard, the dispute centered on the robotic narration that opens "Alien Superstar," which samples the 1998 house track "Moonraker" by John Holiday, also known as Foremost Poets. Parkwood licensed the sample directly from Holiday before the song's 2022 release, paying him $10,000, granting him a songwriting credit, and awarding him a 0.5% royalty share.
That ownership question ultimately never reached the courtroom's main stage. Instead, U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi dismissed the case after determining Hirose Enterprises lacked the legal standing to sue because it did not yet exist when the complaint was filed.
Court records showed the company filed its lawsuit on August 4, 2025, but wasn't officially formed until August 12, 2025, creating what proved to be a fatal procedural flaw.
Judge Scarsi even referenced the sample at the center of the dispute in his opinion, writing, "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 concluded that "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."
As a result, the court dismissed claims against Parkwood as well as Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing, and Warner Chappell.
Notably, Beyoncé herself was never named as a defendant.
The plaintiff, however, isn't backing down. Attorney DaShawn Hayes told Billboard that Hirose Enterprises is considering its next move. "While my client is disappointed with the court's ruling, it is not discouraged," Hayes said. "My client will continue its pursuit against Parkwood and Ms. Knowles-Carter until their wrongs have been addressed and rectified."
Representatives for Parkwood did not publicly comment on the decision.
The case marks the latest legal challenge connected to Renaissance, an album praised for its extensive celebration of dance music history through licensed samples and interpolations.
In 2022, "Alien Superstar" also drew attention after Right Said Fred publicly questioned its use of "I'm Too Sexy." Beyoncé's team responded at the time by stating that the interpolation had been properly requested, licensed, and compensated before release.
