Just under a year ago, I mentioned an article going into the history behind the song ‘Wimoweh’ — which most people now know as ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight‘. Now comes word that Disney is being sued by the heirs of the author of ‘Wimoweh’ over its use in The Lion King.
The lilting song, initially called “Mbube,” earned an estimated $15 million in royalties since it was written by Zulu migrant worker Solomon Linda in 1939, and featured in Walt Disney’s “Lion King” movies.
However, Linda’s impoverished family have only received about $15,000, the lawyers said.
[…] Linda sold the worldwide copyright for “Mbube” to a local firm, but under British laws in effect at the time, those rights should have reverted to his heirs 25 years after his death in 1962, copyright lawyer Owen Dean said.
This means Linda’s surviving three daughters and 10 grandchildren were entitled to a share of royalties from the song, which has since been recorded by at least 150 musicians.
“We are claiming ten million rand ($1.6 million) in damages from Disney at the moment,” Dean told reporters. “The court attached use of Disney trademarks in South Africa to the case last week. We believe our legal position is very sound.”
(via Boing Boing)
iTunes: “Lion Sleeps Tonight, The (Wimoweh)” by Tokens, The from the album Wimoweh – The Best of the Tokens (1994, 2:41).