A US judge is reconsidering a ruling that could send a sweeping copyright dispute involving Bad Bunny, Drake, Karol G and other reggaeton artists to a jury. The case concerns claims by reggae duo Steely & Clevie that their 1989 song “Fish Market” originated reggaeton’s influential dembow rhythm, making the outcome potentially significant for a genre built around that percussion pattern.

The judge’s July decision said a jury must decide whether roughly 1,800 songs by more than 100 artists infringed the “Fish Market” composition. Defence lawyers argue the allegedly protected two-bar rhythm was assembled from separate parts of “Fish Market” and another track, “Pounder (Dub Mix II)”, whose composition copyright is owned by someone not involved in the case; the judge said he would take several weeks to decide whether to revise his earlier ruling.