Richard Friedman sued Zimmer in January 2015 for copyright infringement but now regrets doing so after his case was dismissed from court

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Hans Zimmer has received more than just a win in a copyright infringement case – he also received an apology from a fellow composer who now says he mistakenly sued the Oscar-winner over the music for 12 Years a Slave.

Richard Friedman sued Zimmer for copyright infringement in January 2015, but he now says he never should have brought the case. Friedman wrote a letter to Zimmer saying he deeply regrets filing the lawsuit.

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“I sincerely apologise to you for bringing the lawsuit and for the time and expense you incurred in its defence,” said Friedman, who writes music for film and TV.

He said he sued Zimmer based on the mistaken conclusion of a music expert. His case was dismissed from a federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Zimmer has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won an Oscar in 1994 for his score for The Lion King. His score for 12 Years a Slave was not nominated for an Oscar, although the film won best picture in 2014.

In a statement, Zimmer said he is happy with the outcome.

“I hope this case’s successful conclusion will persuade other artists who face similar claims that justice can be achieved,” Zimmer wrote. “I also hope that this dismissal will discourage other plaintiffs who may be motivated by recent high-profile music copyright lawsuits from filing meritless infringement claims.”

On Wednesday, attorneys for Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke and TI filed their opening brief appealing an infringement verdict against their 2013 hit Blurred Lines. The verdict awarded $5.3m (£4m) to Marvin Gaye’s family, and gave them a 50% right to ongoing royalties from the song.

Since then, two more high-profile copyright trials have been heard in Los Angeles one against Jay Z and another against the band Led Zeppelin over the song Stairway to Heaven. Both cases were decided in favour of the artists.