Heirs of the late Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi forge ahead with now 15-year-old copyright infringement case against rap mogul Jay Z and Timbaland. Both appeared in front of the jury on Wednesday to testify at the "Big Pimpin'" trial.
The issue between the heirs of the "Khosara Khosara" composer and the rap mogul springs from the repeated use of four notes from the song's 74 notes, in the 1999 hit "Big Pimpin'," The Washington Post reports.
Jay Z, who real name is Shawn Carter, spent 90 minutes in the federal courtroom answering questions, providing evidence and recounting how he and Timbaland created "Big Pimpin'," as per BT.
He told the jury that he had valid license to use the Arabic music. He even presented one of his old CDs as evidence. "We have the rights as you can see on the bottom of the CD," Carter told jurors, referring to the liner notes that credits "Khosara Khosara."
Meanwhile, Timbaland, real name Timothy Mosley, told the jury that in fact, majority of the beats for the song had already been compiled before he added the flute tunes from "Khosara Khosara." He also denied the claim that the elements taken from the Arabic song were a major part of what made "Big Pimpin'" a hit.
Furthermore, Carter and Mosley's lawyers have told jurors that the family of the deceased composer had been paid repeatedly for the use of the Arabic song.
However, according to Billboard, there is more than the issue of paying for the license, as the heirs are also trying to push the issue about the composer's "moral rights," a concept covered under the Egyptian law that is quite uncommon under the US law. There is also the argument about whether an Arabian company's license on the song included the right to "sublicense."
The long-standing court case still remains unresolved.
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