Bad Bunny wins copyright infringement lawsuit for ‘Enséñame a Bailar’ sample usage
Bad Bunny has won a court order that dismissed a lawsuit against him, which alleged that the tune ‘Enséñame a Bailar’ featured an unlicensed sample.
The case, which was filed last spring, claims that the song in question from Bad Bunny’s 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti, featured an unlicensed sample of the 2019 track, ‘Empty My Pocket’.
However, on March 9th, a judge threw the case out of court because Dera, real name Ezeani Chidera Godfrey, all but abandoned the lawsuit, despite filing it last May.
As per Billboard, Dera was given until March 6th to push the case forward, but the accuser “failed to timely respond. Accordingly, the court dismissed this action, and all claims asserted therein with prejudice,” the judge shared, ending the case permanently.
Bad Bunny’s attorney, Karen L Stetson, maintains that the musician did nothing wrong. “As we stated when the case was filed, my client bought the rights to use the music at issue and were never provided evidence of the plaintiffs’ contrary claims of ownership,” Stetson shared.
She went on, “When plaintiffs were forced to provide evidence in the lawsuit, they chose instead to abandon the case, resulting in the dismissal and final judgment in favor of defendants.”
Originally, Dera’s attorneys argued that, “It is not very often that a musical artist of Bad Bunny’s caliber and sophistication uses someone else’s music without permission, and then ignores the person’s efforts to resolve the problem.”
The track in question spent two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100; Dera alleged that the reportedly uncleared sample “pervades the entirety” of the track.
However, now Dera’s attorneys have pulled out of the case. “As this lawsuit has progressed, disagreements with respect to legal strategy have emerged between Manatt and Plaintiffs,” Dera’s lead attorney, Robert Jacobs, told the judge.
Jacobs went on, “Due to these disagreements, the attorney-client relationship and communications have frayed. Plaintiffs and Manatt worked in good faith to resolve these issues, but, unfortunately, have been unable to do so.”
Despite this victory for the Puerto Rican star, he isn’t in the all-clear yet. It was announced this January that Bad Bunny is facing a $16 million lawsuit, which claims that the star, along with his producing partner, used a recording of a woman’s voice on two songs without her prior permission.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.