"Bailando"—the record-breaking hit from Enrique Iglesias, Descemer Bueno and Gente D'Zona—is the most recent sign to come under fire for alleged copyright infringement. Cristian Mauricio Escuti and German Schultz claim that the single borrows from the duo's "Quiero Bailar Contigo" (from Billboard).
The plaintiffs claim that they recorded their song during 2009 and then submitted it to Sony/ATV during 2012 but claim to have never heard back. Iglesias and company recorded their single during April 2014. Things get curious when Escuti and Schultz just happened to have registered a copyright on their song, five years after it was written and exactly at the same time that "Bailando" was released to the general public.
As for comparisons, it's tough to judge right now as "Quiero Bailar Contigo" has never gotten a release, although attorneys for the plaintiffs claim that it will soon. How the song made it's way to Iglesias et al is another mystery. The lawsuit seems to imply that the song made its way from Sony/ATV to Iglesias by one way or another but that also seems unlikely: "Bailando" was released by Republic, a subsidiary of Universal Music...in other words, a company with no connection to Sony.
The songwriting duo is seeking damages and a chunk of the profits gathered by "Bailando." Even if their lawsuit is less than likely to work out, they picked a good song to target: The single has spent 39 weeks at the top of the Hot Latin Songs chart, the highest total for any song.
This isn't the first time "Bailando" has come under fire for allegedly borrowing from other recordings. Sergio Pelo D'ambrosio Robles claimed the single stole its introduction from his track "Lejos de ti," although no legal action came out of the argument.
The lawsuit comes in the wake of the ongoing lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for "Blurred Lines," the no. 1 song of 2013, and a settlement giving songwriting credit for Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" to Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
