Estate of Abdel Halim Hafez Furious Over Use of Late Singer’s Music in Underwear Commercial

Just when you thought their heated legal battle with rap colossus Jay Z was over, the estate of Abdel Halim Hafez has launched another campaign condemning the use of the beloved singer’s music in a series of Egyptian underwear commercials, according to Albawaba.

Spearheading the family’s protests against the use of the late singer’s hit record Sawah, is his nephew Mohammed Shabbanah, who in a recent statement said that "If the advert was one with a patriotic or meaningful message, it would have been okay to use my uncles's music,” and that “to use it in an underwear advert, even through legal means, is completely unacceptable." Shabbanah spoke with Chairman of the Egyptian Music Syndicate, Hani Shaker - who has yet to issue a statement on the topic - and argued that there should be legislation in place to protect the legacy of Egypt’s cultural icons.

EMI Arabia, which owns the legal rights to Abdel Halim’s music, has been licensing it for years, but should we start drawing lines on the use of licensed music based on grounds of morality?