{"id":46438,"date":"2026-08-15T10:02:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T05:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46438"},"modified":"2026-08-15T10:02:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T05:02:25","slug":"bad-bunny-reggaeton-copyright-case-ruling-gets-second-look-from-judge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46438","title":{"rendered":"Bad Bunny Reggaeton Copyright Case Ruling Gets Second Look From Judge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tLawyers for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/bad-bunny\/\" id=\"auto-tag_bad-bunny\" data-tag=\"bad-bunny\">Bad Bunny<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/drake\/\" id=\"auto-tag_drake\" data-tag=\"drake\">Drake<\/a>, and many of reggaeton\u2019s biggest stars faced off against attorneys for reggae duo Steely &amp; Clevie in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday, as a judge asked pointed questions and said he would need several weeks to decide whether to reconsider a major ruling he issued last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn the July ruling, the judge found that a jury must decide whether an estimated 1,800 reggaeton songs by more than 100 artists infringed the composition copyright held by Cleveland \u201cClevie\u201d Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe \u201cSteely\u201d Johnson for the 1989 song \u201cFish Market.\u201d The plaintiffs claim the song was the original source of reggaeton\u2019s so-called dembow rhythm, the signature percussion pattern that helped define the genre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBad Bunny\u2019s lawyers filed the motion asking the judge to reconsider his ruling, and lawyers for the other artists later joined the request. They argued Friday that the combination of musical elements that the judge found potentially protectable, referred to in the case as the \u201cFish Market Elements,\u201d was actually a \u201cpastiche\u201d assembled from different portions of different songs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Steely &amp; Clevie - Fish Market (Vinyl Side B)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fw31EJUB-tw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tKenneth Freundlich, the lead lawyer for Bad Bunny, pointed to sworn testimony in which Clevie Browne said the two-measure pattern identified as \u201cFish Market\u201d in the complaint was actually made up of \u201ctwo bars not connected in the song \u2018Fish Market.\u2019\u201d Freundlich said Browne testified that the first bar came from the opening measure of \u201cFish Market,\u201d while the second came from bar 22.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFreundlich argued that two-bar timbale loop identified as protectable in the complaint appears only in the related song \u201cPounder (Dub Mix II),\u201d which does not contain the tambourine element identified as protectable in \u201cFish Market.\u201d He also noted that Steely &amp; Clevie do not own the composition copyright for \u201cPounder,\u201d only the copyright to its sound recording. (Jamaican producer Dennis \u201cthe Menace\u201d Halliburton owns the composition copyright and is not a party to the lawsuit.)<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s our position that a selection arrangement can\u2019t be based on a pastiche of compositions. We have to have a single work,\u201d Frendlich argued. \u201cThe case has been shape-shifting from day one. \u2026They took something from here and something from there, and they put it together as if it was continuous.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dennis The Mennace Thompson - Pounder Instrumental\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yi2C-nS4TkI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tU.S. District Judge Andr\u00e9 Birotte Jr. opened the hearing on Friday by noting that he was being asked to \u201cmull this nightmare over some more.\u201d \u00a0He then turned to lawyers for Steely &amp; Clevie with the pointed question at the center of the dispute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cHow do you all reconcile the assertion that the claimed pattern exists in \u2018Fish Market\u2019 when the testimony is that the timbale figure was taken from two separate portions of \u2018Fish Market?\u2019\u201d he asked. Plaintiffs\u2019 lawyer Benjamin Tookey answered that a \u201cconsecutive two-bar timbale pattern\u201d exists in one place in the composition for \u201cFish Market,\u201d and that it was repeated \u201cat different times in \u2018Fish Market.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWhen it was his turn to speak, Freundlich reacted sharply. \u201cThis is the first time we\u2019ve heard them say that the two-measure pattern [listed in the complaint] is in \u2018Fish Market.\u2019 We\u2019ve never heard that before, and that directly contradicts their client under oath.\u201d He accused the plaintiffs of claiming exclusive rights to \u201ca complete blur\u201d of elements taken from different songs. In his motion for reconsideration, Freundlich said Steely &amp; Clevie \u201cassembled a Frankenstein\u201d from the separate songs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cNo one\u2019s Frankenstein-ing anything,\u201d plaintiffs\u2019 lawyer Stephen M. Doniger shot back. \u201cThere is a genuine factual dispute as to whether or not that two-bar slice is out of \u2018Fish Market.\u2019 It\u2019s like if I took a slice of a recognizable Monet painting, then I repeated it, and everyone was like, that\u2019s a Monet remix. That\u2019s what this case is.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDoniger said \u201cthis Frankenstein theory is a great soundbite,\u201d but it\u2019s \u201cinaccurate\u201d because \u201cthe only reason we talk about \u2018Pounder,\u2019\u201d is because it contains much of the same selection and arrangement as \u201cFish Market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tAs the hour-long hearing in downtown Los Angeles concluded, Judge Birotte took the matter under submission. \u201cI need to think about this,\u201d he told the lawyers. \u201cIt will probably be a few weeks before I get an order out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBad Bunny\u2019s motion asked the judge to either reverse his July ruling or allow the defendants to immediately appeal it. Freundlich argued Friday that taking the case to trial would otherwise be \u201ca complete mess,\u201d with discovery and preparation involving roughly 1,800 songs by scores of famous artists including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/karol-g\/\" id=\"auto-tag_karol-g\" data-tag=\"karol-g\">Karol G<\/a>, Anitta, Pitbull, Justin Bieber, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/daddy-yankee\/\" id=\"auto-tag_daddy-yankee\" data-tag=\"daddy-yankee\">Daddy Yankee<\/a>, potentially \u201ctaking us into 2035.\u201d <\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBad Bunny, meanwhile, has denied allegations he infringed on Steely &amp; Clevie\u2019s work on dozens of songs including \u201cTit\u00ed Me Pregunt\u00f3,\u201d \u201cUn Ratito,\u201d and \u201cUna Vez.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWhatever the judge ultimately decides, the case will continue on copyright claims involving allegedly unauthorized samples of sound recordings owned by the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawyers for Bad Bunny, Drake, and many of reggaeton\u2019s biggest stars faced off against attorneys for reggae duo Steely &amp; Clevie in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday, as a judge asked pointed questions and said he would need several weeks to decide whether to reconsider a major ruling he issued last month. In the July&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bad-Bunny.jpg?w=1600&h=900&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}