Jay Z wins Big Pimpin' copyright case
Jay Z and Timbaland win copyright infringement case for flute sample
Hip hop megastars Jay Z and Timbaland have won their week-long copyright infringement case against the family of an Egyptian musician whose flute sample was used on Big Pimpin'.
The pair were being sued by the nephew of Baligh Hamdi, an Egyptian composer, for the misuse of a flute sample from Hamdi's song Khosara Khosara. Osama Fahmy claimed that Jay Z and producer Timbaland did not have the Hamdi family’s permission to sample the song and that the use of the sample alongside "vulgar" language was a violation of Hamdi's moral rights.
However the claim was dismissed in court before it event went to a jury, with US District Judge Christina Snyder saying "Fahmy lacked standing to pursue his claim. In light of that decision, it will not be necessary to submit to the jury whether Big Pimpin’ infringed Khosara Khosara".
Jay Z and Timbaland had already testified that they paid $100,000 to EMI Music Arabia in 2001 for the license to use the sample.
Check out the Big Pimpin' video below to hear the contentious flute sample.