On 3rd September 2015 RYSY, an up-and-coming electronic music duo from Warsaw, released a music video titled The Fib. It was very successful and quite popular from the start, winning the Grand Prix of the prestigious Yach Polish Music Videos Festival, as well as gathering almost half a million views on YouTube. The success of the video vastly contributed to a rise in RYSY’s popularity and consolidated its director’s (Filip Załuska) and producer’s (Papaya Film) status as the genre’s best specialists.
2 years into their career, RYSY have established themselves as one of the most popular acts in Polish electronic music, engaging in artistic collaborations with some of the most respected artists of the local scene and continuing to rapidly broaden their circle of enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, on 26th August, one of RYSY's members wrote on his social media profile:
RYSY plagiarised! I literally fell off my chair when I saw this… A year after The Fib’s premiere something like this appears on the web! Have a look at this and tell me what you think! What nerve!
What was he referring to? Actually not a year, but a few months after The Fib’s release, a hip-hop artist from Atlanta, published a music video ‘inspired’ by RYSY’s hit, and gathered a few million views in six months. His name is Russ, he’s a former member of DIEMON crew and reportedly sells out shows worldwide on his own. In an interview for teambackpack.net he claims to plan become ‘the biggest most impactful artist ever in the world. Ever.’ and summarises his hometown hip-hop scene saying that ‘Atlanta just sounds like everyone’s copying each other.’ Have a simultaneous look at both videos and decide if he can legitimately accuse others of copying:
It appears incredibly obvious, if not to say blatant. Not only is the script almost the same, but certain frames and the colour scheme are also pretty much identical. Surprisingly, no one ever approached RYSY or their video’s producer with an inquiry about possibly licensing their script and concept. Moreover, its director, Edgar Esteves, signed the work with his own name and proudly showcases it on his official website!
Both the band and the production company have decided to take legal action against Russ and Esteves, and in addition, they've asked their fans to post a link to The Fib in the comments below Russ’ video.