A US judge has ruled that Shakira's single "Loca" infringed copyright laws and confirmed that it is indeed a rip-off of another song by a Dominican songwriter.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled on Wednesday that "Loca" is "an illegal copy" of a 1998 song entitled "Loca con su Tiguere" by Dominican songwriter Ramon Arias Vasquez, according to the NY Daily News.
The ruling stated that Vasquez wrote the song and recorded the song after his sister got involved in a love triangle. He was then given the opportunity to perform the track in 2006 for rapper Eduard Bello, in the hopes of having the rapper perform the track.
Bello later on accepted the song and brought it to Shakira who reworked it with him and Pitbull. "Loca" was eventually included in the former "The Voice" judge's 2010 album, "Sala el Sol."
"These hooks play a similar function in both songs. Similar rhythm in both hooks drives the songs. The repetitions are slightly different, but the differences do not affect the song," Hellerstein said.
Shakira's "Loca" incorporated parts of Bello's original recording, thus leading the judge to confirm that it was a rip-off of another song, Daily Digest News reported.
"There is no dispute that Shakira's version of the song was based on Bello's version. Accordingly, I find that, since Bello had copied Arias, whoever wrote Shakira's version of the song also indirectly copied Arias," Hellerstein stated in the ruling.
As of late, the case is still on the process of determining the actual damages for the plaintiff, Mayimba Music, the company that holds the rights to Arias' work, BBC noted.
"Loca" was then recorded in both English and Spanish but the lawsuit is mainly focused on the song's Spanish version.
To date, Shakira and her representative has yet to comment regarding the issue.