Bad Bunny’s former girlfriend Carliz De La Cruz Hernández won the right to pursue a lawsuit accusing the reggaeton star of using a recording of her voice on his 2022 song “Dos Mil 16” without authorization, according to an 80-page ruling from the Puerto Rico Supreme Court obtained by Rolling Stone.
De La Cruz Hernández claims she recorded the phrase “Bad Bunny baby” at his request in 2015 during their relationship, which began in 2011. She alleges Bad Bunny and his company, Rimas Entertainment, used the voice memo across streaming services, social media, television, radio, and promotional campaigns without her consent, turning it into a marketing hook that drove sales of the chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti.
The court found De La Cruz Hernández presented sufficient facts to support her claim that the recording’s use violated her right to protect her identity from commercial exploitation. The majority also reversed an earlier dismissal of her copyright claim, finding she had a right to pursue claims that her personal and distinguishable voice performance might be protectible as a copyright.
De La Cruz Hernández cannot pursue damages for the earlier song “Pa Ti” (2015), as the statute of limitations had expired, the court ruled. Bad Bunny, born Benito Martinez Ocasio, has been fighting the lawsuit since it was filed in 2023.
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Source: Rolling Stone