By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The Supreme Court ruled the copyrights of music albums of the deceased singer Kim Gwang-seok (1964-1996) belong to his daughter, overturning a lower court ruling that awarded part of the ownership to his mother and brother.
In 1996 before committing suicide, Kim gave ownership of all four of his albums to his father. His father and Kim’s wife agreed the singer’s daughter would inherit all of the rights. In 2004 when Kim’s father was dead, the rights were inherited by his daughter.
But Kim’s mother later filed a lawsuit, claiming that Kim’s father granted inheritance of the ownership to her. An appeals court ruled that the copyrights of the albums should be shared with Kim’s mother, his elder brother, his wife and a daughter.
Overturning the ruling, the Supreme Court said, ``The ownership of the copyrights of the albums should be granted to Kim’s daughter as agreed between Kim and his father.’’
Kim, one of the most popular folk rock singers, made his debut with singer Kim Min-gi in 1984. The singer-songwriter is noted for his clear vocals and acoustic guitar skills.