Bad Bunny has reportedly sued a concertgoer for uploading extensive footage of his Utah concert to YouTube.
The legal action, filed in California, marks a rare escalation in disputes typically resolved without the initiation of legal proceedings. The owner of the YouTube channel MADforliveMUSIC, Eric Guillermo Madroñal Garrone, allegedly posted ten videos featuring complete songs from the concert, for which Bad Bunny is claiming copyright infringement, arguing the footage represents “unauthorized bootleg” content.
Bad Bunny's lawyers filed the formal complaint following a failed takedown request to YouTube, which Madroñal Garrone defended by stating that his videos constituted freedom of expression as they documented a newsworthy event. The claim highlights the ongoing debate over the balance between copyright enforcement and freedom of expression online.
As a consequence of multiple infringement claims, YouTube has since terminated the MADforliveMUSIC channel, while the Spain-based Madroñal Garrone claims he has yet to receive any formal legal notice.
The nuances of this case reflect broader issues in the digital age, where fan-recorded content can blur the lines between promotional material and copyright infringement.
Authors: Arash Rouhi and Zach Gordon, 2024 Summer Student-At-Law
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