The two musicians making up the electronica duo Röyksopp were celebrating their acquittal in a Bergen court this week on charges they’d neglected to share proper credit and compensation for a song on their best-selling “Melody A.M.” album. Former colleague Rune Lindbæk not only failed to win legal support for his claim, but also was ordered to pay court costs amounting to NOK 788,140 (USD 143,000).
Lindbæk had claimed that the Röyksopp song “A Higher Place” on the “Melody A.M” album was based on a song called “Lift” that he wrote with Röyksopp’s Torbjørn Brundtland in the late 1990s. Lindbæk had been demanding proceeds from the song for years, and the three finally met in court last month.
After hearing testimony for a variety of music professionals and even hearing the duo demonstrate how they create music, though, the court ruled that the two songs could not be viewed as similar works. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported that the court also rejected Lindbæk’s claim that he had rights to the song or had been among its producers.
Lindbæk told website VG Nett that the ruling will effectively bankrupt him and that “Torbjørn will just have to wait” to receive reimbursement for his legal costs. He said he was disappointed by the verdict but hadn’t decided whether he’d appeal.
newsinenglish.no staff
