A decision in the Steely and Clevie Productions vs. Reggaeton copyright infringement case, is not happening anytime soon as Judge André Birotte Jr. of the United States Central District of California has set a 2025 timeline for both sides to gather evidence and present their arguments. This lengthy discovery process will help determine if Steely and Clevie’s 1989 “Fish Market Riddim” was copied on over 1800 reggaeton hits and if it should be protected by US copyright laws.
Recently, the court decided that the main part of the sweeping copyright infringement case can move forward. However, representatives for the dancehall riddim making duo have until today June 27, 2024, to update their complaint if they want to add more details or make changes. Following this, the defendants must respond to the updated complaint by July 25, 2024. If no new complaint is filed, they must respond to the existing Second Consolidated Amended Complaint by the same date.
Starting August 5, 2024, both sides will begin gathering evidence to prove whether Steely and Clevie’s music is original and deserves copyright protection. This phase will end on March 28, 2025. Both sides will present expert reports to support their arguments. Initial expert reports are due by December 20, 2024, with responses to these reports due by February 28, 2025. All expert-related discovery must be completed by March 28, 2025.
Additionally, summary judgment motions, which are legal requests to decide parts of the case without a full trial, have a detailed schedule for next year. Defendants must file their motions by April 27, 2025. Steely and Clevie et al and their team must respond and can file their own motions by June 6, 2025. Defendants must reply to these responses by June 28, 2025, and Clevie and his team’s final replies are due by July 18, 2025. A court hearing for these motions will be scheduled for at least two weeks after July 18, 2025.
On May 28, 2024, the court addressed multiple motions to dismiss filed by the defendants. The court denied these motions concerning the primary claim, allowing the case to proceed. However, it granted the motions regarding a secondary claim, permitting the plaintiffs to amend their complaint.
Reggaetón stars Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Stefflon Don Justin Bieber, Drake, Luis Fonsi, Pitbull, Putbill, Maluma, J Balvin, Ozuna, Anitta, Alex Sensation, Anuel AA, Bad Bunny, Becky G, Cali Y El Dandee and others, are all defendants in the lawsuit. Grammy winning duo of Wisin & Yandel are accused of sampling the Fish Market Riddim on almost 300 songs, the most for any one act on the list.
This case is significant not only for its high-profile defendants but also for its potential impact on how copyright law is applied in the music industry. The court’s decisions on originality and protectability could set important precedents for future cases involving musical works.
The structured timeline laid out by the court ensures that both sides have clear guidelines and deadlines to follow, promoting an organized and fair process.
Stephen Drummond, a copyright lawyer who filed a $300 million lawsuit against Miley Cyrus and secured an undisclosed settlement for his client, dancehall artist Flourgon, in 2018, told WMV, “From 1989 until now, many years have passed. In cases of copyright infringement, if multiple parties have copied a work between 1989 and now, it can be challenging to prove that the final party who copied it, 20 or 30 years later, did so from the original work and not from someone else’s copy.”
