Turkish folk singer Ertaş slammed with property rights fine

ISTANBUL

Neşet Ertaş, DHA photo

The late Turkish folk singer Neşet Ertaş has found that sometimes legal complaints can stretch beyond the grave as his song “Mühür Gözlüm” becomes the subject of a property rights fine, according to daily Hürriyet.

Although, Ertaş passed away Sep. 25, 2012, heirs of the folk poet who wrote “Mühür Gözlüm,” Aşık Ali İzzet Özkan, demanded 69,000 Turkish Liras from Ertaş’s estate for the song’s unauthorized usage. The court originally rejected the claim made on behalf of Özkan against both Ertaş’s estate and Kalan Müzik, the record company responsible for recording and distributing the song. Özkan’s kin then appealed the decision and won their originally requested 69,000 lira fine on appeal.

“The property rights and all the royalties of the song have been paid for many years and it was Neşet Ertaş who made the song famous in Turkey,” Kalan Müzik owner Hasan Saltık said.

Saltık added that the case should be analyzed by the universities. “First the court said no and then changed their decision. How is this possible?”

According to Saltık, the ruling is unfair to Ertaş. “The writer of this song has given the lyrics of this song to Ertaş with his own will. It was a gift and he also said, please compose these lyrics,” he added.

The families should be respectful of that, he said.