Salt Lake City, Utah – Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny has filed a lawsuit against a fan, accusing them of copyright infringement. The legal action comes in response to the fan’s posting of concert footage on YouTube, which Bad Bunny claims violates his rights over his live performances.
According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California on March 8. The fan in question, Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone, allegedly shared high-quality videos of 10 songs from Bad Bunny’s concert in Salt Lake City last month on his YouTube account, MadforliveMusic.
Unlike typical social media clips shared by concertgoers, these videos were full-length songs, leading Bad Bunny to argue that they negatively impact the market for authorized uses of his work. The lawsuit also alleges that Madronal Garrone profited from using the footage to attract viewers and generate ad revenue, taking advantage of Bad Bunny’s name and music without permission.
The lawsuit states, “Each of the Unauthorized Bootlegs, both individually and collectively, negatively impacts the market for authorized uses of the Bad Bunny Works by, among other things, luring YouTube viewers and associated advertising revenue away from authorized videos of the Bad Bunny Works and the official Bad Bunny YouTube channel, and towards the Unauthorized Bootlegs (and the MADforliveMUSIC YouTube channel).”
Initially, Bad Bunny filed a takedown claim with YouTube under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, leading the platform to remove the videos. However, Madronal Garrone countered this claim and YouTube restored the videos, prompting Bad Bunny to take legal action. He is seeking an injunction to prevent Madronal Garrone from sharing any further content and is also pursuing damages of $150,000 per video or the profits made from ad revenues on YouTube.
As of midday Monday, Madronal Garrone’s YouTube page was no longer accessible on the platform. This case highlights the ongoing issues faced by artists in protecting their intellectual property rights and the challenges posed by unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material online.
Bad Bunny, currently on his Most Wanted Tour in the U.S., joins the growing list of musicians taking legal action against individuals who infringe upon their rights. This lawsuit serves as a reminder to fans and content creators alike to respect copyright laws and obtain proper authorization before sharing protected material.