The estate of the late reggae musician Bob Marley is threatening to sue right-wing Israeli MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union), Israeli blogger and Internet journalist Ido Kenan reported Saturday. The lawsuit is over Eldad's campaign video (for his party Hatikvah, or "The Hope," which he founded in 2008, one of the four parties comprising the National Union), in which young children dressed in lion costumes are seen receiving a call from the chief lion (Aryeh means lion in Hebrew) and rushing to Eldad's home to the sounds of Bob Marley's hit "Iron, Lion, Zion." A voiceover singing along to the tune interjects additional lyrics, saying, "If you are in favor of two states for two peoples, one of which is Jordan; if you are against the Arab occupation, say Amen; There is only one hope for the Right, yes." "The radical, explicit, cynical, violating and hurtful political use of the late Mr. Marley's work makes a mockery, to say the least, of the late Mr. Marley and his endeavors," the letter reportedly said. The heirs are reportedly demanding NIS 500,000 (about $131,000) in compensation plus legal costs, immediate removal of the video, an apology and a promise never to violate Bob Marley's copyright again. Kenan quoted Eldad as saying in response, "We never meant to violate copyright laws. The use of song covers in funny videos and political messages is endless, and can be found everywhere online. The lawsuit is vexing, but since the legal issue has yet to be resolved, we have removed the video from the [party's] website."
Less than a week after the video became public, the owners of the rights to the song issued a letter of warning via an Israeli attorney, which Kenan posted on his blog. In the letter, Marley's heirs accuse Eldad of manipulating the song and sullying Marley's legacy.
