A famous French artist was convicted in Italy for plagiarizing a song performed by Gianni Nazzaro. As damages, he will have to pay 30,000 euros.
It is now confirmed, the singer Gilbert Montagné and his lyricist Didier Barbelivien will no longer receive a single cent for this famous song from the 1980s. According to information from The Informedthe case dates back to 2012. At that time, Gianni Nazarro decided to file a complaint against the two artists for plagiarism. Indeed, the Neapolitan singer is the interpreter of “Une fille de France”, a title whose sounds recall those of the hit which helped make Gilbert Montagné famous: “On va s’aimer”. For Italian justice, this is indeed plagiarism.
According to BFMTVfor ten years, Gilbert Montagné and Didier Barbelivien refused to recognize the dispute and to pay the copyright to Michel Cywie and Jean-Max Rivière at the origin of “Une fille de France”. Later, they were finally caught up by the Italian justice system which decided to take the singer, his lyricist, their publishing companies and SACEM to court to block their royalties. The Italians are also asking for 1.67 million euros in copyright catch-up, says Le Figaro.
On October 9, 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled on the case and rendered a judgment in favor of Gianni Nazzaro, who had then been dead for more than three years. Gilbert Montagné and Didier Barbelivien are therefore ordered to pay 30,000 euros in damages to the heirs of the Italian singer and to forgo their royalties on the song “On va s’aimer”.
A backlash full of irony for Gilbert Montagné who himself filed a complaint in 2009 against Flunch for the plagiarism of this same song. Indeed, in one of its advertisements, the restaurant brand took the title “We’re going to love each other” to transform it into “We’re going to Fluncher”. The French artist this time won the legal battle, receiving 30,000 euros in damages in the process.