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Bad Bunny has won a copyright battle over his track “Enséñame a Bailar” from “Un Verano Sin Ti”, after the plaintiff apparently gave up the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed last May by Nigerian producer Dera (Ezeani Chidera Godfrey). He claimed that “Enséñame a Bailar” contains an unlicensed sample of his 2019 track for artist Joeboy: “Empty My Pocket.” The judge in charge dismissed the lawsuit on Monday (March 9) after Godfrey missed a March 6 deadline to continue the case.
In documents obtained by ROLLING STONE, Judge Otis Wright said the court found “dismissal is appropriate” not only because Godfrey missed the filing deadline, but also because he failed to appear at a discovery hearing on February 5. “The court concludes that Godfrey has abandoned this case and that further delay would disadvantage the defendants and harm the public interest,” Wright wrote.
Dispute with lawyers preceded
The missed deadlines and hearings came remarkably soon after Godfrey parted ways with his lawyers earlier this year. In January, they withdrew from the case, citing “irreconcilable differences” in trial strategy (according to Billboard). Godfrey’s label emPawa Africa had already withdrawn from the proceedings as a plaintiff the previous month because it had also missed deadlines.
Lawyers for Godfrey and Bad Bunny did not immediately respond to requests from ROLLING STONE.
The controversy over “Enséñame a Bailar” dates back to 2023, when Mr. Eazi – founder of emPawa Africa – publicly accused Bad Bunny of copyright infringement. He claimed that “Enséñame a Bailar” interpolates and samples “Empty My Pocket” and accused Bad Bunny’s team of continually “blocking” his efforts to secure proper credits for Dera and Joeboy.
For its part, Bad Bunny’s team argued that the sample was licensed with permission from Lakizo Entertainment, which had temporarily distributed the song. Dera’s lawsuit argued that Lakizo did not have the authority to release the sample. (Lakizo and emPawa are also said to have fought their own legal battle over the song, which resulted in the track temporarily disappearing from streaming services.)
