LOS ANGELES (AP) – Testimony has concluded in a copyright infringement case against rapper Jay Z over his 1999 hit “Big Pimpin’.”
Lawyers for the rap superstar played deposition testimony Tuesday from a former lawyer for the heir of an Egyptian composer who wrote flute notes included in the song. He was the trial’s final witness.
The notes are from a 1957 love ballad written by composer Baligh Hamdi and appear throughout “Big Pimpin’,” which was Jay Z’s first major hit. Producer Timbaland paid $100,000 in 2001 to settle a claim about its usage.
Lawyers for Hamdi’s nephew, Osama Ahmed Fahmy, contend that Jay Z and Timbaland do not have a valid right to use the song.
Closing arguments are tentatively scheduled to begin Wednesday but the judge must settle several issues first.