And if they don't, local companies simply forge their signatures. Very few have the education to understand copyright issues. Graham Gilfillan, a Johannesburg copyright investigator who is on a crusade to return rights to artists whom he maintains were cheated by companies like Gallo says, "African musicians have been continuously ripped off. Friederich speculates that the money may have come from Weiss, adding: "Perhaps he thought if he chucked peanuts at the family, they would simply stay quiet." From 1992, when the copyright case was finally settled, to 1999, $12,000 mysteriously showed up in the account of Adelaide's late mother. They may have had a twinge of conscience, though. "Weiss and his cronies know they have a strong legal, if not moral, case." Today, as Linda's heirs struggle on, Friederich says all attempts to reach a settlement with the U.S. Keenan of the American Arbitration Association.įriederich adds: "The entire arbitration hearing was about one group defending its plagiarism against another." "It is rare that a plagiarist admits to copying a copyrighted work, but the evidence of plagiarism of 'Wimoweh' in the writing of 'Lion' is so overwhelming that Weiss could only confirm the plagiarism," noted Judge John F. TRO went to court, and the two parties eventually settled, with TRO winning publishing rights while Weiss and his fellow songwriters won broadcast rights. In 1989, with the original rights about to expire, Weiss declared his intention to re-register the song in his own name. The song, recorded by The Tokens, was an instant hit and become familiar the world over. songwriters - Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George Weiss - released a song they called "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Weiss had played around with Seeger's words and added his own lines: "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight." And his label, Folkways, sent a small amount of royalties from "Wimoweh" to the Ntseles.īut Linda's song was destined for greater fame. Saddened by his error, he has worked ever since to see that artists like Linda are treated fairly. In time, Seeger would recognize that the song had been written by Linda. In this case, the money accrued to Seeger and New York music publisher The Richmond Organization (TRO). Seeger had registered as the songwriter for the piece under an alias, " Paul Campbell" - a common practice when artists use public-domain melodies, allowing them to receive royalties. Seeger misinterpreted the Zulu "Uyimbube, uyimbube" (You're the lion, you're the lion), and his anglicized version, "Wimoweh," was recorded by his group, the Weavers. Linda's song, however, was entirely his own composition. Public-domain works are either uncopyrighted or unclaimed often they are traditional folk songs. Seeger was handed a recording of what he believed to be a traditional, or public-domain, African folk song, and he immediately fell for its enchanting rhythm. The song next surfaced in 1951, when it caught the ear of American singer Pete Seeger. In a costly error of judgment, Gallo failed to copyright the song, perhaps believing an African township ditty had no real market value. "Only the names on the legal documents have changed." "Gallo was the first, but not the last," (to take advantage of African songwriters). The song was released as "Mbube (The Lion)" and the recording went on to sell more than 100,000 copies.īut Linda's success did not translate into money: Eric Gallo, the company's founder, bought the rights to the song for 10 shillings (the equivalent of about $30 today) and put Linda to work packing boxes in the company's warehouse. The origins of the saga date back to 1939, when Solomon Linda recorded the song in his native Zulu with his group, the Original Song Birds, for the South African company Gallo. We must ask family for money because we are poor." "The council will soon cut off the electricity because we cannot pay our accounts. Instead, she relied on simple herbal remedies she had learned as a girl growing up in Zululand.Ī few days before she died, Adelaide sat in the modest house that once belonged to her father, her body racked by painful coughing brought on by AIDS- related tuberculosis.
Adelaide could not afford anti-retroviral medication. Linda's heirs have inherited their father's legacy of penury. We are unlikely to ever raise that kind of money," Friederich says. "To get a fair deal, we will have to litigate in the United States. copyright holders agree - or are forced - to give up ownership of the work.įriederich glumly concedes that the chances of that are remote. But this will only happen if the current U.S. Human rights lawyer Hanru Friederich has represented Adelaide and her three sisters - Linda's heirs - in an attempt to win royalties for the family.
0 kommentar(er)
