Bad Bunny Wins Copyright Case Over ‘Ensename a Bailar’

Bad Bunny has prevailed in a copyright case over his Un Verano Sin Ti track “Enséñame a Bailar” after the plaintiff appeared to abandon the lawsuit. 

The suit was filed last May by the Nigerian producer Dera (Ezeani Chidera Godfrey), who claimed “Enséñame a Bailar” featured an uncleared sample of a 2019 track he produced for the artist Joeboy, “Empty My Pocket.” But the judge overseeing the case dismissed the suit on Monday (March 9) after Godfrey missed a March 6 filing to continue the case. 

In documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Judge Otis Wright said the court found “dismissal is appropriate,” after Godfrey not only missed the filing deadline, but failed to appear at a Feb. 5 discovery hearing. “The Court concludes that Godfrey has abandoned this case, and that letting this action drag out any longer would prejudice defendants and would be against the public interest,” Wright wrote. 

The blown deadlines and missed hearings notably came after Godfrey fell out with his lawyers earlier this year. In January, they withdrew from the case, citing “irreparable differences” over legal strategies (per Billboard). Godfrey’s label, emPawa Africa, was dismissed as a plaintiff from the case last month for also missing deadlines.

Lawyers for both Godfrey and Bad Bunny did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s requests for comment. 

The dispute over “Enséñame a Bailar” goes back to 2023, when Mr. Eazi — founder emPawa Africa — filed a call-to-action accusing Bad Bunny of copyright infringement. He alleged that “Enséñame a Bailar” both interpolated and sampled “Empty My Pocket,” and claimed Bad Bunny’s team had continually “stonewalled” his attempts to secure Dera and Joeboy proper credit. 

Bad Bunny’s team, in turn, argued that the sample had been obtained with permission from Lakizo Entertainment, which had distributed the song at one point. However, Dera’s lawsuit argued that Lakizo wasn’t authorized to clear the sample. (Lakizo and emPawa also reportedly had their own legal spat over the song, which led to it disappearing from streaming services.)