The copyright lawsuit filed against Jay Z's 1999 hit "Big Pimpin'" came to an abrupt end on Wednesday after a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that the heir of an Egyptian composer had no right to pursue his claim.
The lawsuit was filed in 2007 by Osama Ahmed Fahmy, who inherited music copyright interests of his uncle and Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdy. He is credited with writing the song “Khosara Khosara” in 1957 that features the flute melody sampled in "Big Pimpin.'"
However, Jay Z and fellow rapper Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley testified last week that they thought they were in the clear after paying EMI Music Arabia $100,000 to use the song everywhere except in Egypt.
Before the case could even make it to a jury, U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder ruled Wednesday that Fahmy didn't have the right to pursue a copyright infringement claim and the case should be tossed out.
"Defendants are very pleased with the outcome," Daniel Rozansky, an attorney for Jay Z, told BuzzFeed News.
The rapper, who had an appearance in New York on Tuesday, was not at the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday for the decision.
Christine Lepera — an attorney with the firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp who is representing Timbaland, members of Linkin Park, Warner Brothers, Universal, Roc-A-Fella Records, and Paramount — told BuzzFeed News in a statement that her clients were also pleased that the judge found the claimant had no right to bring the lawsuit "whatsoever."
"Defendants have maintained throughout that Mr. Fahmy has no right to sue for infringement in connection with 'Big Pimpin'' and that fact has now been established," she said.