Shakira facing plagiarism lawsuit
MADRID A Cuban singer and music producer has filed a plagiarism lawsuit against pop stars Shakira and Carlos Vives for allegedly copying his work in the Colombian duo’s awardwinning hit La Bicicleta.
Livan Rafael Castellanos, also known as Livam, says he wants a court to decide whether parts of his 1997 song Yo te quiero tanto were plagiarised in the hit that won two of the three biggest Grammy Latino awards in 2016 – song and record of the year.
‘‘I have nothing against Shakira, Vives or anybody else,’’ Livam said. ‘‘It’s the law that needs to decide whether changing a song’s key is enough to make it different.’’
The lyrics in Livam’s original chorus are ‘‘I love you, I love you so much’’, while Vives and Shakira sing ‘‘I’m dreaming and I love you so much’’ with a rhythm and melody that Livam argues are similar. His complaint notes that both songs use accordions.
Livam, who works in Madrid REUTERS as a composer and producer, said his 3 year-old daughter identified her father’s melody in La Bicicleta when the family heard the hit coming from a radio during a beach holiday last year.
The musician consulted musical experts and contacted the labels representing Vives, Shakira and Andres Eduardo Castro, a producer who appears registered as the author of La Bicicleta. No agreements were reached, according to Livam.
A legal representative for Sony ATV Music Publishing in Spain, which represents Shakira and Castro, said yesterday the company could not comment because it had not received notice of the lawsuit.
Livam said he was happy for the success of the hit no matter what the judge’s eventual ruling about whether his creation was part of the hit.
‘‘I’m just a musician, but I don’t want to be robbed,’’ he said. AP