Bad Bunny and some of reggaeton’s biggest stars have scored a major victory in a massive copyright lawsuit involving the dembow rhythm that helped define the genre.

U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. reversed an earlier decision and dismissed major portions of a lawsuit brought by Jamaican production duo Steely & Clevie, which targeted nearly 2,000 songs and more than 150 artists.

The defendants include Bad Bunny, Karol G, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Pitbull, Drake, Luis Fonsi and others.

Why This Was Such a Big Deal

The lawsuit argued that Steely & Clevie’s 1989 “Fish Market” contained copyrighted musical elements that were later incorporated into the dembow rhythm heard throughout reggaeton.

Had that broad argument succeeded, the implications could have stretched across decades of Latin music and potentially affected thousands of songs.

Bad Bunny’s lawyers challenged the claim, arguing in part that the allegedly protected musical arrangement was being constructed from elements that did not appear together in the copyrighted composition.

The judge has now sided with the defendants on that crucial issue, significantly narrowing the case.

Some individual claims involving direct sampling can still continue, so the entire legal battle isn’t necessarily over. But the sweeping copyright theory that threatened a huge portion of reggaeton has taken a major hit.

For a genre built around one of the most recognizable rhythms in modern music, the ruling is a major victory — not just for Bad Bunny, but for reggaeton itself.