U.S. judge tosses 'Big Pimpin' copyright lawsuit against Jay Z: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a copyright infringement lawsuit that accused rapper Jay Z and hip hop producer Timbaland of using an Egyptian musician's melody without permission in their hit song "Big Pimpin'," The Hollywood Reporter said. U.S. District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder tossed the case after ruling that the rights to late musician Baligh Hamdy's 1957 song "Khosara, Khosara" were appropriately acquired by Jay Z's record label, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Snyder's decision came after three days of trial testimony. Hamdy's nephew Osama Ahmed Fahmy had filed a complaint in 2007, alleging that Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and his team had used his uncle's song without permission. Jay Z testified at the trial last week, telling the eight-member jury that acquiring rights to songs was not his responsibility. Hip hop producer Tim 'Timbaland' Mosley said he believed Hamdy's track was license free, but once he learned of the complaint, he paid $100,000 to EMI Music Arabia to acquire the rights. Hamdy's melody is sampled in the chorus of Jay Z's 1999 hit "Big Pimpin'." Attorney Peter Ross, representing Fahmy, had told the jury that Jay Z and his producers purposefully avoided asking for permission to use Hamdy's track. (Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Tom Brown)