A U.S. company has settled a long-running legal dispute with a South African family over the copyright to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," one of Africa's most famous tunes, lawyers said.
Lawyers acting for the family of Zulu migrant worker Solomon Linda, the song's original composer, say Abilene Music -- which administered its copyright in the United States -- had agreed to settle the dispute for an undisclosed sum.
"The amount is confidential... but it's been described as an amount which is suitable for the family's needs and includes both back payments for royalties as well as future payments," lawyer Herman Blignaut says.
Linda's family lives in poverty in the Johannesburg township of Soweto and were originally claiming 10 million rand ($1.6 million) in damages against the company.
"The family are obviously very happy that this matter has been settled and they have something to show for it... a trust has been established to manage the funds and give them guidance as it's a significant sum of money," Blignaut said.
The song has earned an estimated $15 million since it was written in 1939 after being recorded by at least 150 artists around the world. It also features in the Walt Disney "Lion King" film, as well as on stage.
The law firm of Spoor and Fisher originally brought the case against Walt Disney, as they had no jurisdiction against Abilene Music in South Africa. Walt Disney has repeatedly said it obtained the copyright for the song properly from Abilene.
Abilene Music confirmed it had agreed to pay compensation for administering the copyright.
"It is confirmed that 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' was derived from 'Mbube' and that Solomon Linda was therefore a co-author of the musical work," the company says in a statement. "Mbube" was the original title of Linda's song.
"Solomon Linda's heirs will now receive appropriate compensation for past and future uses of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,"' the statement says.
Linda's relatives were not available for comment.
COPYRIGHT: (c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Lawyers acting for the family of Zulu migrant worker Solomon Linda, the song's original composer, say Abilene Music -- which administered its copyright in the United States -- had agreed to settle the dispute for an undisclosed sum.
"The amount is confidential... but it's been described as an amount which is suitable for the family's needs and includes both back payments for royalties as well as future payments," lawyer Herman Blignaut says.
Linda's family lives in poverty in the Johannesburg township of Soweto and were originally claiming 10 million rand ($1.6 million) in damages against the company.
"The family are obviously very happy that this matter has been settled and they have something to show for it... a trust has been established to manage the funds and give them guidance as it's a significant sum of money," Blignaut said.
The song has earned an estimated $15 million since it was written in 1939 after being recorded by at least 150 artists around the world. It also features in the Walt Disney "Lion King" film, as well as on stage.
The law firm of Spoor and Fisher originally brought the case against Walt Disney, as they had no jurisdiction against Abilene Music in South Africa. Walt Disney has repeatedly said it obtained the copyright for the song properly from Abilene.
Abilene Music confirmed it had agreed to pay compensation for administering the copyright.
"It is confirmed that 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' was derived from 'Mbube' and that Solomon Linda was therefore a co-author of the musical work," the company says in a statement. "Mbube" was the original title of Linda's song.
"Solomon Linda's heirs will now receive appropriate compensation for past and future uses of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,"' the statement says.
Linda's relatives were not available for comment.
COPYRIGHT: (c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
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