By SVE Music
A landmark copyright battle involving the late Jamaican production duo Steely & Clevie and the global reggaeton industry has taken a significant turn, with a U.S. federal judge dismissing the core composition claims covering more than 1,800 reggaeton songs.
⚖️ WHAT DID THE COURT DECIDE?
U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. ruled that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated that the alleged “dembow” musical pattern existed as part of one single copyrighted composition.
Instead, the case attempted to combine elements from multiple different musical works to establish the claimed composition — an approach the court rejected as an impermissible “pastiche.”
🎤 A MAJOR WIN FOR REGGAETON
The ruling represents a significant victory for more than 150 artists and other defendants whose music was caught up in the lawsuit.
Names connected to the case include some of the biggest stars in Latin and global music, including:
🔥 Bad Bunny
🔥 Daddy Yankee
🔥 Karol G
🔥 J Balvin
🔥 Luis Fonsi
🔥 Don Omar
🔥 Drake
…and many more.
🎧 BUT THE CASE ISN’T COMPLETELY OVER
Importantly, the ruling does not necessarily end every claim.
Narrower allegations involving the direct sampling of Steely & Clevie sound recordings remain separate from the dismissed composition claims.
What has taken the biggest hit is the broader attempt to establish copyright control over the dembow rhythmic pattern itself.
🌍 WHY THIS MATTERS
Dembow is fundamental to the sound and evolution of reggaeton, with deep connections to Jamaican dancehall and Caribbean musical culture.
Had the broader copyright argument succeeded, it could potentially have created enormous implications for producers, artists, labels and rights-holders across decades of reggaeton and related music.
For now, the ruling represents a major moment in the ongoing debate over where musical inspiration ends and copyright protection begins.
🇯🇲 From Jamaica’s dancehall foundations to Puerto Rico’s reggaeton explosion — the dembow debate continues.
🔥 SVE MUSIC — KEEPING YOU CONNECTED TO THE MUSIC, THE CULTURE & THE HISTORY.
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