Khosara Khosara was featured in a 1957 Egyptian film and became a major hit, Mr Ross said.
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Lawyers for Carter and Timbaland, who also features in the song, say they secured the appropriate rights.
Back in April we told you Jay Z would testify in an eight-year-old lawsuit accusing a 16-year-old song of ripping off a 58-year-old song.
Mr Hamdi’s family allege the pair should have asked for their permission too, as Big Pimpin’ contains “vulgar” and “risque” lyrics.
He also accused the rapper of violating Hamdi’s “moral rights” – a legal concept he claimed was well-established in Egypt which would have required the musicians to get permission to use elements of Khosara Khosara in a song celebrating a promiscuous lifestyle.
Jay Z, wearing a navy suit and tie, sat between his lawyers at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles as he silently observed the afternoon’s proceedings.
Ms Lepera denied “moral rights” were at issue in the case and said evidence would show that Hamdi’s heirs had been repeatedly paid for the use of the composer’s music.
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Music mogul Jay Z’s long-awaited “Big Pimpin'” trial over its alleged unauthorized usage of a sample is taking place today (October 13) in California. In March, the heirs of late soul singer Marvin Gaye successfully sued artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for $7.4 million for plagiarizing Gaye in their hit “Blurred Lines”. However, Fahmy filed his lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court in 2007, claiming the payout was irrelevant to his case.
