Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny was sued in a San Juan court for his ex-girlfriend carliz de la cruz seeking at least $40 million in compensation for image rights, moral rights and damages.
Underlying the lawsuit brought by De La Cruz, a law graduate since 2021, against Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s first name, is the fact that the artist used the refrain “Bad Bunny Baby” in several songs without his permission.
Related topics
In 2015, De La Cruz and Martínez Ocasio “decided that it would be an intriguing idea” to record this after his stage name, according to the legal document, which was submitted to the San Juan Court of First Instance on March 1 but was released this Monday word ‘baby’”.
“With the intention of making the phrase ‘Bad Bunny Baby’ even more original, they both came up with the idea of best recording it with the voice of Carliz, his girlfriend,” who he began dating in 2011 before becoming famous, describes the lawsuit.
(Also read: Nothing Confirming Their Relationship? Kendal Jenner Sees Potential In Bad Bunny).
That same year, while De La Cruz was at her then-housing with a friend, she received a request from the singer to record herself saying “Bad Bunny Baby,” which the young woman was doing on her cell phone.
Bad Bunny included this chorus in the song Pa’ti (2017), which also featured Bryant Myers, and the young woman’s voice appeared “without her consent or written permission,” according to the court document.
This was the first song Bad Bunny recorded for the Rimas Entertainment record label, which he signed to in April 2016 and was also sued by De La Cruz.
Plaintiff alleges that Bad Bunny performed in Puerto Rico, the United States and the Dominican Republic and began her concerts with her voice repeating the phrase “Bad Bunny Baby” along with a background rhythm.
(Also: Bad Bunny, the big favorite of the Latin Ama’s nominations due out in April).
Also, Bad Bunny used the refrain again in the song Two Thousand 16, which appears on the album A Summer Without You (2022). One day before the release of this album – on May 5, 2022 – the plaintiff claims that the artist’s representatives tried to reach an agreement with her, which she refused without signing a contract.
“The next day, however, the recording was released and sold with the plaintiff’s voice, whether or not she consented to the use of her voice, i.e. her identity,” the lawsuit explains.
The attorney’s voice was also heard on all shows Bad Bunny performed on his Un verano sin ti tour, which took place in Puerto Rico, the United States and Latin America beginning in July 2022.
The defendants not only excluded his name from the created artworks, but also used De La Cruz’s distinctive voice on songs, records, promotions, concerts and on social and music platforms, television and radio without his consent.
(You may be interested in: Bad Bunny’s Best Moments in Carpool Karaoke).
EFE
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO