Bad Bunny Wins Crucial Reggaeton ‘Dembow’ Rhythm Ruling
The ruling ends most claims over nearly 2,000 reggaeton songs after the judge found the plaintiffs did not identify a single copyrighted work.
- On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. reversed his earlier ruling, dismissing the central copyright theory in the lawsuit targeting Bad Bunny and other artists over the dembow rhythm.
- Jamaican reggae duo Steely & Clevie—Cleveland Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson—filed the 2021 lawsuit claiming their 1989 track "Fish Market" was the source of the dembow rhythm used in nearly 2,000 songs.
- Rejecting what defense lawyers termed a "Frankenstein copyright," Birotte emphasized that copyright law does not protect an "abstract amalgamation" of elements pulled from multiple independently existing works.
- While this victory eliminates a major portion of the litigation for Bad Bunny and more than 150 artists, the court ordered parties to meet within 30 days to discuss remaining narrower claims.
- The ruling prevents the plaintiffs from establishing ownership over the foundational dembow rhythm, sparing the reggaeton genre from a potential monopoly that critics had warned threatened an entire musical culture.
14 Articles
14 Articles
U.S. federal justice decreed that the characteristic rhythm of the reggaeton is free of monopolies. It is a ruling of Judge André Birotte Jr that divides waters among law experts, since it reverses another ruling of the same judge. The litigation began following a claim by the mythical Jamaican duo Steely & ... Continue reading "The reggaeton is free of monopolies: U.S. justice fails in favor of Bad Bunny and Karol G"
Judge Reverses Ruling in Historic Reggaeton Dembow Copyright Lawsuit, Shielding 150+ Artists
Judge Reverses Ruling in Historic Reggaeton Dembow Copyright Lawsuit, Shielding 150+ Artists - DancehallMag. The part that really cuts to the heart of this case is not that Bad Bunny won, it is how he won. A federal judge threw out the broadest claims in a. DancehallMag is an independent news outlet that covers all things Dancehall and Reggae music, the artists, and culture.
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