With the release of their song Fish Market in 1989, the Jamaican duo Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson inadvertently changed the course of pop music. 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 characterize as unlawful interpolation of Fish Market’s rhythm (or “riddim”), and are seeking the credit – and royalties.
Source: Can you copyright a rhythm? Inside the reggaeton lawsuit that could shake the pop world