Names and faces
U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder on Wednesday dismissed a copyright infringement case against rapper Jay Z over his 1999 hit “Big Pimpin’” before the case was sent to a Los Angeles jury. Snyder ruled that the heir of an Egyptian composer did not have the right to pursue a copyright-infringement claim. She did not explain her decision in detail, but told jurors she tossed out the case after hearing testimony from experts on Egyptian law. The nephew of Baligh Hamdi, an Egyptian composer whose 1957 song “Khosara Khosara” is partially used in “Big Pimpin’,” sued Jay Z, producer Timbaland and several media companies in 2007. Flute notes that Hamdi composed appear throughout the Jay Z song, and nephew Osama Ahmed Fahmy claimed they had exploited “Khosara Khosara” without proper permission. “We think it’s completely wrong, and we’ll appeal,” Fahmy’s attorney, Pete Ross, said. The abrupt end to the case came after the rapper and Timbaland testified early in the weeklong trial about creating the rap hit and their belief that they had valid rights to use the Egyptian song. It is rare for copyright cases involving major media properties such as films or music to reach the trial stage. Timbaland paid $100,000 in 2001 to settle a claim about usage of Hamdi’s song, which was written for a 1957 film, and testified that he believed he could use it. Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, also said he thought he had a valid license to use the flute notes for the song that became his first major hit single.
Country star Blake Shelton has filed a lawsuit against the tabloid magazine In Touch Week - ly over a cover story claiming heavy drinking by the singer contributed to his divorce from Miranda Lambert and that he was headed to rehab. Shelton’s defamation lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeks damages and an injunction barring the magazine from repeating the allegations, which his lawyers say are false. The lawsuit against In Touch publisher Bauer Publishing Co. contends the tabloid has repeatedly printed false information about the singer and his breakup with Lambert. “Blake Shelton has had enough,” the lawsuit begins before rebutting claims made in the article and laying out the singer’s busy schedule. “Mr. Shelton is not in rehab and has no plans to go to rehab.” An email sent to publicists for In Touch was not immediately returned. In Touch published the story in late September that alleged Shelton was drinking heavily and that his actions contributed to the end of his marriage to Lambert. It previously published an article claiming Shelton had cheated on Lambert and that contributed to their divorce. The lawsuit states Shelton, 39, has sought a retraction of the article but received no response.