In a significant legal win for dance music stars Karol G and Tiësto, a federal court in Florida has dismissed a $50 million copyright lawsuit accusing their 2021 hit “Don’t Be Shy” of copying a little-known 2000 track by Cuban-American songwriter Rene Lorente.
The court ruled that Lorente failed to meet the legal standard to proceed with the case, primarily due to the poor quality of his expert testimony. His designated musicologist, Richie Viera, a former A&R executive, was found to be unqualified. According to Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, Viera couldn’t explain basic music theory or identify fundamental musical elements in the tracks. His report also failed to address “prior art” — a key concept in music copyright cases.
Lorente’s case depended entirely on Viera’s analysis since he did not provide any direct evidence of copying. He also claimed that because his track “Algo Diferente” was available on platforms like YouTube and Spotify, it was accessible to Tiësto and Karol G. But with fewer than 3,500 total plays, the court found this argument unconvincing.
The judge concluded there was no viable infringement case and ordered the lawsuit closed. Karol G and Tiësto’s legal team hailed the decision, saying the claims were baseless and relied on common musical elements used widely across genres.
“Don’t Be Shy,” which featured on Tiësto’s album Drive, became a major international success, breaking into Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Top 5 and marking Karol G’s English-language breakthrough.
Lorente plans to appeal, but legal experts say the bar for copyright lawsuits remains high, especially when built on weak analysis and minimal exposure.