MADRID (AFP) - A Spanish court has cleared Colombian superstars Shakira and Carlos Vives of accusations they plagiarised part of their Grammy award-winning hit La Bicicleta.

Livan Rafael Castellanos, a Cuban singer known as Livam, alleged that the catchy tune copied parts of the melody and lyrics from his song called Yo te quiero tanto (I love You So Much).

Music publisher MDRB filed a complaint in 2017.

In March, Shakira, 42, who lives in Barcelona, told the court she had "never heard" Livam's song before.

La Bicicleta, or The Bicycle in English, won two of the three biggest Grammy Latino awards for 2016, including song and record of the year.

In the song, Shakira and Vives sing "que te sueno y que te quiero tanto" (I dream of you and love you so much).

Livam says "yo te quiero, yo te quiero tanto" (I love you, I love you so much).

But the court ruled that the expression was "common, used in all sorts of songs and lyrics, all through history".

It added that the melody, rhythm and harmony were different in both songs.

With her mix of Latin, Arab and rock influences, Shakira is one of the biggest stars from South America, scoring global hits with songs such as Hips Don't Lie and Whenever, Wherever.

She has sold more than 60 million records.