Italian Appeal Court Rules Against Prince In Plagiarism Case

One of Prince’s most famous songs was plagiarised from a track by two Italian songwriters, a court has ruled.

The Court of Appeal in Rome found that the the singer's 1994 hit, ‘The Most Beautiful Girl In The World’, borrowed heavily from Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino’s 1983 song, ‘Takin’ Me To Paradise’.

However, a definitive ruling in the case is still dependent on whether a final hearing confirms the song was plagiarised.

If the “third degree” ruling sides with the songwriters Prince would have to stop distributing the song in Italy, and could also be forced to pay all accumulated royalties.

'Immediate Action'

Bergonzi and Vicino’s case against the singer has been dragging on since the 1990s. The pair launched an appeal after their original claim of plagiarism was rejected in 2003.

The Court of Appeal’s ruling was actually made in December 2007, but the songwriters have only now spoken out for the first time.

"Our song was first released in 1983, at the height of the Italian dance boom and it appeared on assorted compilations that were distributed internationally," Bergonzi told Billboard.

"When we first heard Prince's song we immediately took action, but this case has been dragging on for 15 years and it isn't over yet, such is the slowness of the Italian legal system. We only decided to go public with our story now."

The rigorous Italian legal system means it could be years before the songwriters learn the result of a final hearing.

Claudio Buja, managing director for Universal Music Publishing, which has been representing Prince in the case, said the company was “wary of making comment at this stage”.

But he added: “I can say that plagiarism cases are invariably delicate and difficult."

Prince live