Better late than never, is what the heirs of an Egyptian composer are thinking. The lawsuit claims that the Hova's megahit song “Big Pimpin” violates the “moral rights” of the plaintiffs. Yawn... but read more.
According The Hollywood Reporter >>
In a decision Tuesday, a California federal judge ruled that the plaintiff has standing to pursue a lawsuit, even if it’s grounded upon a quirky bit of Egyptian copyright code.
The original composition was created by Baligh Hamdy, and the copyright interests passed down to his four children upon his death in 1993. One of those children, Osama Ahmed Fahmy, is the plaintiff in this case against Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), EMI Publishing, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, UMG Recordings, Warner Music and many others.
In 1995, the Hamdy children licensed the right to mechanically reproduce "Khosara, Khosara" for sound recordings. Jay-Z and his team believe they acquired proper license to use the music.
That's where Egyptian copyright law enters the picture.
Egyptian copyright law also confers to owners “moral rights” over copyrighted work, which, according to the plaintiff's experts, can’t be disposed of like “economic rights.” Basically, if Jay-Z wished to “mutilate” the original song by sampling it, looping it and adding his lyrics, the plaintiff argues he needed to get the express permission of each of Hamdy's four children.
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