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Al-Ahram Weekly

Egyptian authors slam Al Jazeera for unauthorized use of Al-Helm Al-Arabi song - Music - Arts & Culture

A dispute has broken out between Egypt's Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (SACERAU) on one side and Al Jazeera and its digital platform Al-Jazeera 360 on the other side, after the latter had used the famous song Al-Helm Al-Arabi (The Arab Dream) with altered lyrics. Al-Jazeera used Al-Helm Al-Arabi in the 6 June episode of its satirical programme Al-Shabaka, changing its title to: Generations After Generations Witnessing the Farce. It used the song, often called an operette, without permission, authorization, or consultation with the society or the rights holders, scriptwriter and poet Medhat El-Adl, SACERAU's head, said. El-Adl is the song's writer, to music by Helmy Bakr, directed by Ahmed El-Aryan. The song was launched in 1996, featuring 22 artists from various Arab countries. Al-Helm Al-Arabi is one of the most iconic artistic works. It expresses Arab unity and support for the Palestinian cause. In a statement, SACERAU described the action as a "blatant infringement on the intellectual and artistic rights of the national song." The society also strongly condemned what it referred to as "a crude and brazen violation of one of the most important artistic works in Arab collective memory." "What has occurred represents a flagrant violation and a complete legal and moral crime. It falls under the category of unlawful alteration of artistic works, an act that offends the moral integrity of authors and composers and distorts the original message of the work, which carried noble national and pan-Arab values," it added. The statement said the action is considered a direct and clear violation of Articles 148 and 181 in the Egyptian Law No. 82 of 2002 on the protection of intellectual property rights. Article 148 affirms that the author has the exclusive right to modify their work or authorize others to do so. Article 181 criminalizes the infringement of artistic works and stipulates civil and criminal penalties for offenders. Moreover, the society pointed to the breach of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which Egypt is a signatory to. This convention grants authors the right to object to any distortion, mutilation, or modification of their work that would harm their honour or reputation. Accordingly, the society warned the platform's management against continuing to broadcast this infringement and demanded that all clips and videos containing this violation be immediately removed. It added that it expects a public and official apology to the SACERAU and the rights holders for this unlawful act. The society also demands an immediate halt to using any part of the song in any content related to the platform without consulting the SACERAU and obtaining the necessary licenses. Furthermore, it affirmed that it will not hesitate to take full legal action locally and internationally if this violation is repeated, including filing lawsuits for literary theft and moral defamation of a work protected by national and international laws and seeking appropriate financial and moral compensation. SACERAU The Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (SACERAU) was born out of the French Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music (SACEM) in 1944 to be its first Middle Eastern headquarters. SACEM is a society for the administration of artists' and performers' rights in France and Europe. It offers three main services: collecting and distributing royalties, promoting creators, and defending its members' rights. After successfully collecting musicians' royalties, the office's Egyptian authors decided to create their own entity in 1946. Egypt's SACERAU plays a similar role for its members: managing copyrights for musicians, collecting their royalties, and offering a pension programme. The two entities are still cooperating, as SACEM collects royalties for Egyptian authors abroad. The SACERAU is headed by scriptwriter and lyricist Medhat El-Adl. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link: