The Docket: A Timeline of Legal Maneuvers
As of June 6, 2025, the court docket reveals a fast-evolving dispute:
May 2, 2025: Complaint filed in the Central District of California, assigned to Judge Otis D. Wright, II.
May 9-16, 2025: Multiple defendants, including Bad Bunny, Rimas, Apple, Spotify, and publishing companies, were formally served or waived service.
May 19-27, 2025: Parties stipulate to extensions of time to answer the complaint; defense deadlines set for late June and mid-July.
June 4-6, 2025: Plaintiffs file a notice voluntarily dismissing defendant Orchard Enterprises LLC without prejudice. The court issues a Minute Order formalizing the dismissal.
Who’s Who: The Parties
- Plaintiffs:
- Empawa Africa Music Services Limited
- Ezeani Chidera Godfrey (“Dera”)
- Defendants:
- Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio)
- Rimas Entertainment LLC
- Apple Inc.
- Spotify USA Inc.
- Universal Music Corp., Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, and others
This is not the first time Bad Bunny has faced legal scrutiny over copyright and creative credit, but this lawsuit is unique in its global reach and the involvement of digital music giants. The case touches on the explosive growth of Afrobeat, the globalization of streaming, and the challenges artists and labels face as musical borders dissolve.
Expert Insight:
“Copyright law is still catching up to the realities of global music production and distribution. These cases force the courts—and the industry—to confront what ‘originality’ and ‘fair use’ really mean in an era of viral, borderless hits,”says intellectual property attorney Michael Fenner (not involved in this case).
