Bad Bunny wins key ruling in reggaeton copyright lawsuit

A federal judge has struck down a substantial portion of a massive copyright lawsuit involving the dembow rhythm, a ruling that significantly benefits Bad Bunny and numerous other reggaeton artists. In a rare reversal of his own previous decision, Judge André Birotte Jr. ruled on September 1, 2026, that the plaintiffs failed to identify a single, protectable copyrighted work that encompasses the selection and arrangement of the rhythm they claim to own.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2021 by Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson, alleged that their 1989 track ‘Fish Market’ was the source of the dembow beat. The litigation targeted nearly 2,000 songs by over 150 artists, including major figures such as Karol G, Daddy Yankee, Pitbull, Drake, Luis Fonsi, and Justin Bieber. Defense lawyers successfully argued that the plaintiffs were attempting to create a ‘Frankenstein copyright’ by mashing together elements from multiple independent works.

While the ruling eliminates claims regarding the compositional elements of the rhythm, it does not end the litigation entirely. The court maintained the possibility of continued legal action regarding specific claims of direct sampling from the original Steely & Clevie recordings.