Shakira's Hit Song 'Loca' Did Not Plagiarize - U.S. Judge Rules

The Colombian singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model.,Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll or better known as Shakira. The artist's 2010 hit single "Loca" was found to be a plagiarism of a Dominican songwriter's work. Shakira's Loca illegally scraped a recording by Ramon Arias Vasquez called "Loca con su Tiguere."

But the U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan, dismissed the copyright infringement case against Sony/ATV Latin and Sony/ATV Discos, the judge stated, "[T]here was a basic issue of fraud in the trial."

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein found out with a key piece of evidence in regard to the songwriter - Ramon Arias Vasquez's cassette tape, in which he allegedly recorded the original song turns out to be a fake.

Reportedly, Shakira's "Loca" sold more than five million copies worldwide, and the song reached the top of the Latin Billboard charts.

Hellerstein's previous ruling in 2014 made a dramatic change when the judge found that Sony/ATV Latin and Sony/ATV Discos were liable for copyright infringement for "Loca" and the song was included on Shakira's 2010 album, Sale el Sol. Sony was then sued in 2012 by the owner of the rights to Arias' work ,New York-based Mayimba Music.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said on Monday that the new Sony evidence offered a "competent and substantial proof",proving the cassette of Arias that he claimed he recorded the song which had been used to register a U.S. copyright, was not made in 1998, and the result of the findings, the judge said that the copyright of Arias is invalid.

Barry Slotnick ,Sony's attorney, said after the ruling, "we're very pleased and gratified on behalf of Sony and the real writers, El Cata and Shakira."

Judge Hellerstein also said on Monday that he had lost faith in the testimony of Ramon Arias Vasquez. And the judge noted that the image on the cassette's cover showed an adult man named Jhoan Gonzalez. Gonzalez was born in 1989, and as claimed in 1998 copyright of Arias ,Gonzalez would have been only 9 years old

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