Somebody Wants to Copyright a Rhythm – Get Ready for the Dembow Tax If They Succeed

upstart writes:

Somebody wants to copyright a rhythm - get ready for the dembow tax if they succeed:

One of the most pernicious effects of today's copyright maximalism is the idea that every element of a creative work has to be owned by someone, and protected against "unauthorised" - that is, unpaid - use by other artists. That goes against several thousand years of human creativity, which only exists thanks to successive generations of artists using and building on our cultural heritage. The ownership model of art is essentially selfish: it seeks to maximise the financial gains of one creator, at the expense of the entire culture of which they are part. A good example of this clash of interests can be seen in yet another lawsuit in the music industry. This time, somebody is trying to copyright a rhythm:

The [Fish Market song] track featured the first known example of what would come to be known as a "dembow" rhythm - the percussive, slightly syncopated four-to-the-floor beat that travelled from reggae to become the signature beat of reggaeton, today the world-conquering sound of Latin American pop.

Now, more than 30 years after Fish Market was released, Steely & Clevie Productions is suing three of reggaeton's most celebrated hitmakers - El Chombo, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee - for what they characterise as unlawful interpolation of Fish Market's rhythm (or "riddim"), and are seeking the credit - and royalties - they say they deserved from the start.

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