Here's an interesting one. A South African family are suing Disney for $1.6 million relating to the use of the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' in its various Lion King franchises.
The famous pop song was originally created by one Solomon Linda, a migrant Zulu worker who recorded a version of the song with a group called the Evening Birds in 1939. Linda sold the rights to the song to a local company for $15,000. After that time the song came to global attention through folk singer Pete Seeger who adapted it into the song 'Wimoweh', and later via American songwriter George David Weiss who rewrote the track as 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Because of its subsequent use in Disney's The Lion King it is estimated the song has now earned its rights holders in excess of $15 million.
Although Linda sold the rights to the song South African copyright law is based on the British system. That means that 25 years after the songwriter's death the rights to the song revert to his family - which means the Linda family should have been receiving royalty payments ever since 1987. It is on those grounds that the family now plan to sue both Disney and three South African royalty firms over the continued use of the song.
The family's lawyer told reporters yesterday: "We believe our legal position is very sound. The family are entitled to royalties. There has also been a misappropriation of South African culture - the song is thought to be American."
If the family are successful in using the British copyright law rule in securing themselves the royalties to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' it is thought a number of other South African families may come forward to claim the royalties they inherited from their songwriting ancestors.