Bad Bunny and His Collaborators Face a Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Safaera’
Bad Bunny, along with all of his collaborators on his YHLQMDLG track “Safaera,” have been sued for direct and contributory copyright infringement, according to documents viewed by Pitchfork. The suit was filed in a California federal court by AOM Music, Inc.—whose registered agent is Omar Merced, the son of BM Records founder Pedro Merced—which claims that “Safaera” includes music from DJ Playero’s Playero mixtapes. Merced is asking for $150,000 in statutory damages for each infringed work or actual damages in the way of any and all gains, profits and advantages derived from the release of “Safaera,” as well an injunction to impound or destroy the infringing works and attorneys fees. Find the lawsuit below.
The lawsuit names three songs—“Besa Tu Cuerpo,” “Chocha con Bicho,” and “Sigan Bailando”—from DJ Playero’s Playero 37: Underground and Playero Greatest Hits: Street Mix 2 mixtapes—and allege that portions of the songs appear on “Safaera.” An included exhibit depicts the musical notation of each track juxtaposed with that of “Safaera” for comparison. It also cites Pitchfork’s reviews of “Safaera” and YLHQMDLG as evidence of DJ Playero’s influence on the song. The suit names featured rappers Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow, as well as producers Tainy and DJ Orma, Bad Bunny’s label Rimas Entertainment, and several other labels and publishing companies. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Bad Bunny and AOM Music, Inc for comment.
