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1: Landmark Reggaeton Copyright Case to Be Decided by Jury, Judge Rules
First off today, Bernadette Giacomazzo at Complex reports that the ongoing reggaeton lawsuit is headed toward a jury trial after a judge declined to rule whether the plaintiffs created the rhythm at issue.
The lawsuit was filed by Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and the estate of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson. They claim that they created the dembow rhythm, a beat associated with the entire reggaeton genre. The defendants include many of the biggest musicians, including Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, and Drake.
In the case, the judge ruled that there are issues of fact related to the creation of the rhythm. The judge said that he alone could not determine whether the plaintiffs are the creators of the rhythm and, instead, will put the matter before a jury. There is no timeline for the trial yet.
2: ‘Absurd’ Copyright Lawsuit Where Woman Claimed Pop Star Copied Her Poems
Next up today, Ilana Kaplan at People reports that Taylor Swift has emerged victorious in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed that the pop star copied her poems for use in various songs.
The lawsuit was filed by Kimberly Marasco, who alleged that Swift copied her poems in more than a dozen songs. However, according to the judge, the similarities were superficial and limited to non-protectable elements such as basic ideas and common themes.
The judge opted to dismiss the case with prejudice and not allow the plaintiff to refile it. This was largely because Marasco had already had a similar case dismissed and was warned that this one would be her final opportunity to make her case.
3: Zombie ‘Who Owns Unix?’ Lawsuit Comes Alive Again
Finally today, Simon Sharwood at The Register reports that the lawsuit between Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) and IBM is coming back from the dead, roughly 23 years after it started.
In 2003, SCO sued IBM, claiming that it committed copyright infringement by using SCO Unix code in its version of the Linux operating system. The case ended in 2021 with a settlement. By this point, SCO was no longer operating, having sold its software business to Xinuos.
However, the settlement was not a complete end to the case. Xinuos is continuing to fight, with a hearing in the case held just last month. The current issue now hinges on whether Xinuos even has standing in the case or if the statute of limitations has expired.
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