Bad Bunny just scored a major legal win after a federal judge dismissed a $25 million copyright lawsuit tied to his Un Verano Sin Ti track “Enséñame a Bailar.”
The lawsuit was filed by Nigerian producer Ezeani Chidera Godfrey, known professionally as Dera, along with emPawa Africa Music Services. They claimed the song used elements from a 2019 track called “Empty My Pocket,” which Dera produced for artist Joeboy, without permission.
The complaint named several major companies connected to the song including Rimas Entertainment, The Orchard, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp., and streaming platforms Spotify and Apple.
But the case never made it very far.
Earlier this year, Dera’s legal team withdrew from the lawsuit citing irreparable differences. After that, he failed to appear in court and did not respond to a judge’s order to continue the case.
Because of that, a federal judge ruled the case had been abandoned and dismissed it with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again.
Bad Bunny’s attorney said Benito had already paid for the rights to use the music in question, and when the plaintiffs were asked to provide proof of their ownership claims, they chose to walk away from the case instead.
Now I’m curious… do you think this was a legitimate claim, or was someone just hoping for a payday off a Bad Bunny hit?
Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below and as always, I will definitely do the same. Besitos.