Haitian-American Judge André Birotte Jr., who recently announced that he worked as a DJ during his college years, seems inclined to dismiss Stevie & Clevie’s copyright infringement lawsuit. The judge has expressed concerns about the potential impact of
this lawsuit on creativity in music genres like Reggaetón, Reggae, Hip-Hop, and others.
The 57-year-old Judge raised concerns about the lawsuit’s potential impact on popular music during a two-hour hearing on the defendant’s motions to dismiss the case, held in a California courtroom on October 20, 2023.
“What’s the end game? Does this lawsuit run the risk of arguably stifling creativity?… Look at the ripple effect this style has had on Reggae, Reggaetón, Latin music, Hip-Hop, you name it. Does this stifle the creativity of all of those genres?” he asked the parties.
Judge André Birotte Jr.
In response, Scott Burroughs, the lead lawyer for the plaintiff (Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and the estates of the late Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson and Ephraim “Count Shelly” Barrett), argued that his clients deserved credit and compensation for the allegedly unlawful use of the Fish Market and “Pounder” riddims, which inspired the “style” internationally known as “Dem Bow.”
“Maybe we do need a reckoning,” Burroughs said.
According to Rolling Stone, Burroughs claimed that many defendants had no problem clearing samples from other artists, so why should his clients be “left out in the cold.”