Plagiarism Drama: Is Beyonce’s ‘Countdown’ Video a Copycat?

With the odd discovery of Beyonce’s possibly fake/exaggerated/weird baby bump yesterday, all she needs is another scandal. The New York Times is reporting that Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker thinks that Beyonce was perhaps too inspired by her choreography.

“I’m not mad, but this is plagiarism,” Keersmaeker in regards to her videos for Achterland” and “Rosas danst Rosas,” “This is stealing.”

You can watch a side by side comparison of the videos below:

Keersmaeker also said, “Beyoncé is not the worst copycat; she sings and dances very well, and she has a good taste! On the other hand, there are protocols and consequences to such actions, and I can’t imagine she and her team are not aware of it.”

This isn’t the first time Bey has been accused of copying. Earlier this year at the AMA’s people compared her performance to one by the Italian artist Lurella Curcruini.

Beyoncé told the New York Times that, “Clearly, the ballet ‘Rosas danst Rosas’ was one of many references for my video ‘Countdown’. It was one of the inspirations used to bring the feel and look of the song to life.” She added “I was also paying tribute to the film, ‘Funny Face’ with the legendary Audrey Hepburn.”

The entire video isn’t stolen, but does have parts that are heavily influenced. Watch the entire “Countdown” video below:

What do you think? Is this a blatant rip-off or subtle inspiration?