A little-known American lawsuit could end up reshaping popular music. A US federal court is preparing to rule on a landmark copyright dispute. At its centre is an interesting question: can a short rhythmic pattern – one that appears in thousands of reggaeton tracks – be owned?

The case, known as the Fish Market dispute, asks whether a looping beat widely associated with reggaeton can be protected by copyright. More than 150 artists and producers have been named as defendants, and around 3,600 songs are implicated.

But the consequences stretch far beyond potential damages. If the claim succeeds, a rhythm that underpins an entire genre could become private property. The lawsuit exposes a long-standing weakness in copyright law, which is its inability to clearly define what makes a piece of music “original”.

Copyright is meant to be straightforward. Original musical works receive legal protection but copies do not. In practice though, music rarely fits this neat, binary logic.

Songs are built from shared elements like rhythms, chord progressions and harmonic patterns. Musicians can reuse, adapt and transform them. These building blocks are how music communicates. But copyright law offers little guidance on which musical elements can be protected, and which belong to everyone.

Unlike literature or visual art, music lacks clear legal definitions for its basic components. There is no settled guidance on whether courts should compare melody, rhythm, harmony, tempo, timbre or pitch, or indeed how much similarity is too much. As a result, judges and juries are left to decide these questions case by case, often without musical expertise.

That uncertainty has made music copyright litigation expensive and unpredictable. Jury trials are particularly risky, and damages can be eye-watering. Two recent American cases show just how inconsistent the system has become.

When courts can’t agree what counts as copying

In 2018, a US jury found that musicians Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had infringed Marvin Gaye’s work with their song Blurred Lines, not because of a shared melody or lyrics, but because of a similar “feel” or “vibe”. The decision marked a dramatic expansion of copyright protection, suggesting that a musical mood could be owned. Critics warned this risked allowing artists to monopolise styles rather than specific creative expressions.

By contrast, a 2024 US court ruling in a case involving singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran took the opposite view. The court held that copyright does not protect the basic building blocks of music. Shared rhythms, chord sequences or stylistic elements, it ruled, are part of musical language itself. Protection applies only to concrete expressions such as specific melodies or lyrics.

The Fish Market case magnifies this contradiction and raises the stakes considerably.

The plaintiffs – Steely & Clevie Productions, which represent the musical catalogue of the influential Jamaican dancehall duo Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson and Cleveland Browne – claim that their 1989 instrumental track, Fish Market, introduced the so-called “dem bow” rhythm. This is a distinctive beat, they argue, which forms the backbone of reggaeton. They are seeking copyright protection for that rhythmic pattern.

If successful, the ruling would grant two rightsholders control over a core musical feature used across a global genre. Unsurprisingly, many musicians and scholars see this as an attempt to claim ownership of reggaeton itself.

They argue that the rhythm predates Fish Market, drawing on long-established Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Cuban traditions such as the habanera beat. Reggaeton, they say, emerged through cultural exchange: from Jamaican dancehall, through Puerto Rico and out into the world. According to this perspective, the plaintiffs are not protecting originality but attempting to privatise a shared cultural inheritance.

Why rhythm is so hard to copyright

Rhythm sits at the heart of the legal problem. It is abstract yet fundamental, short in duration but repeated across a song and deeply tied to cultural identity. Copyright law, designed to compare fixed and discrete works, struggles to evaluate such elements. When courts attempt to isolate rhythm from its musical and cultural context, they risk mistaking convention for originality.

Copyright once played a limited role in musical life. Over time, as recorded music became a major commercial industry, songs increasingly came to be treated as economic assets. Ownership and control moved to the foreground, often at the expense of recognising music as an intellectual and cultural practice rooted in borrowing, influence and exchange.

The dispute around the “dem bow” rhythm lays bare the clash between subjective creativity, economic regulation and the law’s demand for objective rules. That clash is becoming harder to ignore as AI-generated music floods the market, trained on existing works and capable of producing endless stylistic variations. If copyright cannot clearly define originality now, its limits will soon be tested even further.

The reggaeton rhythm on trial is not just a fight over a beat. It reveals a fundamental mismatch between copyright law’s rigid standards and the reality of how music is made.

The Fish Market case offers judges an opportunity to clarify where protection should end, and to recognise the dangers of stretching originality so far that creativity itself becomes collateral damage.

Consumer champion Which? has shared a simple German ventilation hack to tackle damp, which is a simple and affordable method that helps fight off any mould in your property

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Winter is often the worst time of the year for damp and mould in affected homes. Caused by excess moisture, the problem is exacerbated when the temperature drops and people spend more time indoors with the windows and doors closed. However, people have now been left stunned after learning about a ‘free’ method that helps to banish and prevent mould growth in your home in five minutes.

Which?, the UK’s leading consumer advocate that evaluates products and services, has brought the technique to public attention through social media. The organisation posted a video on Instagram showcasing the German Stoßlüften method to fight off and prevent mould, which requires opening every window in your property for five minutes, two times a day.

The term Stoß means ‘shock’ while lüften translates to ‘ventilation’, making this a shock ventilation strategy. It represents an inexpensive, straightforward and accessible solution for addressing mould issues within your property.

During the Instagram video, the Which? representative explaining Stoßlüften remarked: “Have you got a damp house? Well this is what the Germans would do about it and it’s basically free.

“Some ways of conquering damp can be expensive or require a fair bit of DIY. Germans have a great habit that anyone can get into: Stoßlüften, literally shock ventilation.

“Wrap up warm, run around the house and open all your windows wide for five minutes twice a day. Yes, even in the freezing cold!”

The presenter elaborated: “The warm, damp air in your home will quickly get replaced with cold, dry air. When you’re sealed back up again the temperature should quickly get back to comfortable but now the moisture in the air is banished and won’t be condensing in damp patches on your walls and windows.”

The post was captioned: “This simple German hack will help you tackle damp and mould without spending a penny.”

The Instagram clip has garnered 3.5 million views, 37,000 likes and close to 1,000 comments, as people shared their bafflement by how easy the hack was.

One viewer remarked: “What great advice. I have a German/Dutch brother in law and a very good German friend and they always sleep with the bedroom window open.”

Someone else chimed in: “The lung clinic at my chronic asthma hospital team also recommend this – get them windows open!” A third person who’s tested the method wrote: “Done this for years, in a council block, that has huge issues with damp and mould. Works perfectly and really is a life saver.”

Numerous Instagram users sharing their experiences in the comments revealed that Stoßlüften has proved effective for themselves or relatives who’ve given it a go. A cottage dweller explained: “I open my windows every day all year. I live in a very old cottage with no damp proof course. And no damp at all inside. So it works. I’ve always needed fresh air. Glad I’m doing something right.”

That said, a number of UK-based Instagram users expressed doubts about its effectiveness in Britain. One pointed out the “air in England isn’t dry, it’s damp, especially at the minute”.

This sentiment resonated with many others.

Another user disputed this claim, offering clarification: “A lot of people in the comments seem to mistakenly believe that the cold air outside their house is as humid (or even more humid) than the warm air inside their house. This isn’t true: cold air has a much lower carrying capacity: it can’t hold as much water vapour as warm air.”

They continued: “When you open your windows, the dense cold air flows into the house replacing the less dense warm air (which is driven outside). This means that you have replaced warm air with a high moisture content with cold air with a lower moisture content.”

The explanation went on: “As that cold air warms up inside your house it absorbs moisture from surfaces and materials. Doing this multiple times a day will therefore move moisture from inside your house to outside your house.”

Which? then posted a follow-up video addressing viewers who argued that Britain’s damp climate would render window opening ineffective against mould.

In the clip, their spokesperson described this as a “confusion between relative humidity and absolute humidity”.

Using a visual aid of two water glasses – one small and filled to the brim, another larger but containing less liquid – he illustrated the concept.

Gesturing to the smaller vessel, he explained: “This very full glass is like the air outside on a cold day. It’s at 95% capacity. It is holding as much water as it’s capable of holding but warm air can actually hold almost twice as much in a house compared to the cold air outside.”

This year has seen prolonged periods of rain and snow but that could change next week according to weather maps

After months of rain and snow dominating the weather in Wales so far this year, many people will be happy to know that the Met Office has forecast warmer temperatures paired with sunshine next week. Temperatures across the UK will reach double digits this weekend with it only getting warmer up until Wednesday, February 25.

Met Office weather maps show sunshine and highs of 13C for Wednesday after a mild but wet weekend across Wales.

The long range forecast for the UK from Tuesday, February 24 to Thursday, March 5 states: “Broadly changeable during this period with Atlantic frontal systems moving across the country and shorter dry and bright interludes in-between. Rain and showers typically heaviest and most frequent in the west, with more sheltered eastern areas seeing much smaller amounts of rain.

“Often windy with a chance of gales at times. Temperatures well above average at first, likely falling closer to average towards the end of February and into March, perhaps briefly cold enough for some wintry showers or even snow in upland areas of the north. A very small chance of more settled weather by the end of the period.”

In January it rained every day in south Wales and parts of England, so a welcome break from the downpours could be celebrated. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

Some areas in Wales will see showers on Wednesday morning, turning brighter throughout the day before rain returns again in the evening.

Areas across the region will see the temperatures rise to double digits, warmer than usual for this time of year in Wales.

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By 12pm the whole of Wales is expected to have sunshine with clouds and it should mainly stay dry.

Places including Wrexham and Monmouth will see highs of 13C along with the rest of the country feeling temperatures rise to 11C and 12C from midday.

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Three people died in an area known as ‘Waterfall Country’ in Bannau Brycheiniog within the space of just 18 months

A coroner has warned that people will continue to die at a Welsh beauty spot popular with walkers unless action is taken to improve safety by three Welsh councils and two other organisations.

Married couple Helen and Rachael Patching died in an area known as ‘Waterfall Country’ in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in 2023, less than 18 months before Corey Longdon fell and died in a nearby spot. A combined inquest into the three deaths was held at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court last month, when Rachel Knight, Assistant Coroner for South Wales Central, heard details of the two separate incidents.

Ms Knight recorded formal conclusions of “accidental death” in all three cases and confirmed that she would be issuing a new Regulation 28 Report which would be sent to Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, NRW, Neath Port Talbot Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, and Powys Council.

You can read a full report from last month’s inquest here. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.

That report has now been published and sent to the parties mentioned above.

In it, Ms Knight wrote: “On January 22 I held a hearing where three inquests were conjoined as they all raised the same issue.

“The inquests related to the deaths of Helen Patching, Rachael Patching and Corey Longdon.

“All three died accidental deaths within the area known as Waterfall Country within Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern.

“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.”

Ms Knight went on to highlight the “matters of concern” as follows:

• “There is a high rate of accidents, including some fatal accidents, from trips and slips in the area known as Waterfall Country.”
• “A previous Prevention of Future Death report has led to the erection of signage concerning the risk of drowning in the water itself. However, the current signage provision does not adequately address the significant additional risk of accidental falling. Many walkers fail to understand the official routes, closed and open paths and the significant risks they face.”
• “Serious and fatal accidents will continue to occur unless these risks are addressed.”
• “Mobile telephone signal is poor to non-existent in certain more remote areas, which creates delay in alerting emergency services when accidents do occur.”

Ms Knight wrote “in my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you and your organisation have the power to take such action”.

The chief executives of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, NRW, Neath Port Talbot Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, and Powys Council are under a duty to respond to the Regulation 28 report by June 9 with “details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for action”.

A copy has also been sent to the families of Helen Patching, Rachael Patching and Corey Longdon.

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Sam Rockwell playing an eccentric time traveller from the future on a righteous crusade to save us all from AI slop and the nonsense of social media is a strong premise for a film.

In Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Oscar winner Rockwell seems primed for success by Pirates of the Caribbean filmmaker Gore Verbinski’s first movie in almost a decade, penned by author, director and Ricky Gervais collaborator Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying).

But the film seems to let its ambitions to take down the evils of technology in one fell cinematic swoop slightly get the better of it, resulting in a sprawling story with uneven characters and a lack of focus.

It’s also borrowed pretty heavily from the likes of Groundhog Day and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

I did, however, have fun with some of the stand-out story arcs and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’s wilder swings – even if its doom-and-gloom (yet entirely unfanciful) predictions for the future bummed me out.

The film kicks off with Rockwell making a dramatic entrance to a diner as his unnamed man from the future, warning all the patrons of what will happen – as he can attest to, not that we get much detail – if they continue to allow social media to ‘rob people of their dignity’.

Ranting and raving that ‘humanity can be saved’ from the dangers of AI if people join his mission right now, while scraggily bearded and rigged up with a homemade bomb vest, is an entertaining premise that Rockwell makes the most of.

As he explains, this is his 117th time delivering this rousing call to arms in the hopes of finding the right combination of people to help him save humanity. Here, Rockwell is able to unleash his charisma as a performer: he shows off his prior knowledge of the patrons – their names, the fact one couple is on a first date, and he even kisses one woman.

He’s compelling as always, but it’s the type of role Rockwell could do in his sleep – and he’s has had better material to work with before.

With a lot of wrangling – there aren’t many volunteers – his future man ends up with a motley crew of recruits, including married teachers Mark and Janet (Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz), grieving mum Susan (Juno Temple), Uber driver Scott (Asim Chaudhry, struggling to sound – I think – American) and Haley Lu Richardson’s Ingrid, a professional party princess who’s allergic to Wi-Fi and electronic devices.

From here the film flits between vignettes for the people on the team, sharing their experience with tech and how it’s ruined their lives, and the mission they’ve been yanked in for.

Some are much stronger than others, with Temple’s Susan (a heartbreakingly nuanced performance) given a scenario that could have been an entire movie by itself as she’s invited to make a clone of her son with AI after he’s killed in a school mass shooting.

Not only is she able to customise his temperament for the 2.0 version but she even meets parents at an event who are several clones in on their daughter as she keeps being gunned down. In a twisted way of managing their trauma, they’ve decided to make the latest version of their child ‘freakishly tall’ and ‘a little bit racist’ while she’s here.

Richardson’s segment is the other with most promise as Ingrid battles her natural sensitivity while her partner (Tom Taylor) sinks under the insidious influence of a VR headset.

Meanwhile their mission with Rockwell’s character continues, encompassing baddies in pig masks, an army of phone-addicted youths and a creepy mound of wires. And this is before I even mention the giant cat-horse creature with a long neck that pees and spews glitter, which is sinister enough before you even discover its cannibalistic tendencies.

At two and a quarter hours Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is too long and becomes convoluted as it struggles with which direction to take.

The muddled final act also prevents it sticking the landing – with further developments harking back too closely to Terminator 2 again.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is in cinemas from today.

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Police were alerted shortly after 7am to reports of electric car cables being cut and stolen on Tangmere Road in Yarm and enquiries are underway.

One woman, who has lived on the estate for seven years, said she woke up and saw a post on Facebook warning residents to check their cables.

Police were alerted shortly after 7am to reports of electric car cables being cut and stolen on Tangmere Road in Yarm and enquiries are under way. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

She said: “I went outside to find the cable had been cut and stolen.

“I went and checked the doorbell and there was nothing there. I rang the police and messaged our neighbours.

“I’m angry, it’s just an invasion of your home. And it’s the inconvenience and cost of it getting replaced too.

“If you can’t just replace the cable and we have to replace the whole thing it could be more than £1,000.”

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “At 7.15am on Thursday, February 19, police received a report of an electric cable being cut on Tangmere Road in Yarm.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 quoting reference number 031773.”

Erin Dane was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2025

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Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has died after a short illness.

The 53-year-old actor passed away on Thursday, February 19 after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dane was diagnosed with the disease in 2025. ALS attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world,” a statement from Eric’s family read.

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“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”

“He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”

The disease causes a loss of voluntary muscle control, paralysis and respiratory failure. Around 5,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the US annually.

Eric continued to work despite his ill-health, but was not well enough to attend the Emmy Awards last month.

He enjoyed a 35-year career, during which Eric portrayed Dr Mark Sloan, also known as McSteamy, in the hit show Grey’s Anatomy between 2006 and 2012. He returned for a cameo in 2021. He also starred in nine episodes of fantasy drama Charmed in 2003 and 2004.

Eric continued to film psychological teen drama Euphoria despite his illness. The third season is yet to air.

Speaking on Good Morning America in June, a Eric said: “I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening… It’s not a dream. I don’t think this is the end of my story… I don’t feel like this is the end of me.”

The changes, which are set to take effect this April, will see the price of discounted first ResPark permits stay at £92-a-year.

Costs for the first premium permit for larger or higher emission vehicles are set to rise by £17, to £190-a-year.

It comes as part of City of York Council’s budget for the 2026/7 financial year which councillors approved on Thursday, February 12.

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Yearly charges for households’ second permits are set to go up by £13 to £277 for standard ones, £10.40 to £221.60 for discounted ones and £37 to £411 for premium ones.

The price of households’ third permits will be £577.50-a-year for standard passes, £27.50 more, £462-a-year for discount ones, £22 more and £823 for premium ones, £75 more.

Visitor permit charges are set to stay at £1.45, or 35p for concessionary rates.

Minster Badges, which give York residents daytime discounts on parking charges of 30 per cent and 50 per cent in the evening, is set to stay at £45.

Special Control Parking Permits for people living in the Micklegate, North Street or Agar Street ResPark areas are set to cost £7 more, £149, for standard passes.

Discount ones are set to go up by £5.60, to £119.20, with premium ones rising by £19 to £208.

Prices for Special Additional Permits for people in receipt of Personal Independence or Attendance Allowances are set to increase in line with special control charges.

Business Permits are set to cost £27 more, £563, or £21.60 more, £450.40, for discounted rates.

Some charges for residential parking (ResPark) permits are set to change

The same increases and prices will apply to Guest House Authorisation Cards.

Permits for homes of multiple occupancy (HMOs) residents are set to increase by £11 to £223, or by £8.80 to £179.20 for discount passes.

Separate HMO permits are set to be abolished and households put into the standard ResPark system following a council decision in December.

Landlord permit charges are set to rise by the same amount and to equivalent rates to the current HMO ones.

The landlord scheme includes premium rates which are set to increase by £25 to £277.

Community Permit charges for carers are set to be £4 more for standard ones, £75, £3.20 more for discounted ones, £60, and £9 more for premium ones, £96.

Day use Community Permits are set to remain at £1.45, or 35p for charities.

The charge for an Authorisation Card, which allows people without a car to buy visitor permits, is set to cost 20p more and will be priced at £4.40.

An £8 increase for Property Renovation Permits for people working in unoccupied homes is set to see prices rise to £176, with discount ones rising by £6.40 to £140.80.

Commercial Permits allowing people visiting homes or businesses to park in ResPark zones are set to cost £838, £40 more.

Discount rates for those permits are set to rise by £32 to £670.40.

Charges for Commercial Permits for specific zones are set to go up by £10 to £210 for standard rates and by £8 to £168 for discount ones.

Commercial Permits for schools are set to cost £132, £6 more, and £4.80 more, £105.60, for discount ones.

Parking fines are set to remain at £50 for lower penalty charge notices (PCNs) and £70 for higher ones for more serious offences.

It will continue to cost £25 to pay off a lower PCN early, or £35 for a higher one.

Enforced PCNs where charge certificates are issued will still cost £75 for lower ones and £105 for higher ones.

Standard charges for vehicle removals are set to rise by £7, to £138, by £1 for storage, to £17-a-day and by £2 for disposals, to £34.

The administration fee is set go up to £3 to £61.

According to The Northern Echo’s Chris Lloyd “No Place is one of the greatest place names ever coined,” and the village, between Stanley and Beamish is ‘great’ because “no one has ever satisfactorily explained how it came to be No Place.”

It has such a bemusing name that it even featured as a quiz question in an American-made video game.

Jackbox Games, a studio based in Chicago, Illinois, included the village in a question in its 2014 game ‘Fibbage’ and the answer tricked some United States players.

“Located near the town of Stanley, there’s a small village in England called No _________.”

The answer is of course ‘Place’.

Despite the fact that nobody quite knows how or why it got its name, scholars have nevertheless attempted to come up with some explanations.

David Simpson, a toponymist from Durham, offers several possible explanations.

He believes the settlement, built in the mid-19th century, may have been dubbed “No Place” because it sat on the border between the parishes of Chester-le-Street and Stanley.

Neither parish wanted to claim responsibility for the village, meaning it was, quite literally, no place.

Other theories suggest the name could be a corruption of “Near Place” or “Nigh Place”, referencing its proximity to two pits at Beamish Colliery.

Another possibility is that it once stood for “North Place,” though this is less likely as it is not located north of any significant landmarks.

Despite the uncertainty, the village’s unusual name continues to spark curiosity and conversation worldwide.

The trial of an Alpine climber charged with manslaughter after he left his girlfriend on Austria’s highest mountain before she froze to death, is due to begin on Thursday.

Thomas P and Kerstin G were just 50m away from the 3,798m (12,460ft) summit of Grossglockner when she started suffering from exhaustion and disorientation, according to the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office.

Mr Thomas decided to leave her at 2am on Sunday, 19 January last year and descend to the nearest mountain hut to seek help, only returning six and a half hours later in the morning to find her dead, according to the public prosecutor.

Kerstin, 33, froze to death alone on the mountain after she was left in -8C temperatures, with winds of up to 45mph contributing to temperatures that “feel” as low as -20C.

Prosecutors undertook an 11-month investigation into the incident and examined the couple’s mobile phones, sports watches, and photographs of their climb, as well as commissioning an independent report from an Alpine mountaineering expert.

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They have now charged Mr Thomas with negligent manslaughter, arguing that he made nine key mistakes that led to Kerstin’s death, from not planning the expedition properly to failing to make contact with search teams and police.

The trial, which opens in Innsbruck, Austria, will focus on whether Mr Thomas’ actions amounted to gross negligent manslaughter.

Prosecutors argue that, as the more experienced climber and the person who organised the ascent of the Grossglockner, he was the “responsible guide for the tour”.

Mr Thomas has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer has previously rejected part of the Innsbruck prosecutors’ timeline of events, claiming he left Gurtner on the mountain “by mutual agreement”.

Prosecutors say the couple set off two hours too late on the morning of 18 January to realistically summit Grossglockner and return safely.

They effectively became stranded by stormy weather at approximately 8.50pm, but prosecutors allege that Mr Thomas made no attempts to call for help and did not issue any distress signals to a police helicopter that flew over their position at 10.50pm.

Police tried to call Mr Thomas multiple times before he called an officer back at 12.35am. The prosecutor’s office said the contents of the call remained “unclear” but that Mr Thomas then put his phone on silent and no further contact was made.

“At approximately 2am, the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50m [metres] below the summit cross of the Grossglockner. The woman froze to death,” the statement said.

“Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour,” it added.

The defence, led by lawyer Karl Jelinek, described Kerstin’s death as a “tragic accident” and disputed parts of the prosecution timeline.

He argued the couple planned the expedition together, believed they were sufficiently experienced and properly equipped, and only encountered sudden difficulties close to the summit.

At 12.35am on 19 January, Mr Thomas contacted mountain police, though the exact details of the conversation remain unclear. His lawyer says he requested assistance and denies that he told officers everything was fine. Prosecutors allege he then put his phone on silent and did not answer further calls.

Mr Jelinek denies that his client ignored police calls or failed to seek help promptly.

The Grossglockner is considered one of the most challenging climbs in the Austrian Alps, requiring full climbing and glacier gear.

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Yet police said Mr Thomas allowed his girlfriend to use a splitboard – a snowboard that can be divided into two parts to be used like skis for climbing – and soft snowboard boots, equipment that prosecutors said was unsuitable for their high-alpine winter route.

He also allegedly failed to move his girlfriend to a position where she would be sheltered from the wind or to give her their bivouac sleeping bag or aluminium foil blankets to keep her warm before he left.

Prosecutors said the woman was inexperienced and had never undertaken an alpine tour of this length, difficulty, and altitude.

In a series of posts on his now-deleted Instagram, Mr Thomas said Kerstin’s death was “hurting so much”.

“I miss you so much. It hurts so incredibly much. Forever in my heart. Without you, time is meaningless”, he wrote on social media, and co-signed the obituary her parents wrote, according to Bild.

Tributes on Kerstin’s page since her death have described her as a “beloved daughter, sister, sister-in-law, godmother, granddaughter, partner and friend”.

“Thank you, dear Kerstin, for being you, for being you, and for your soul always will be. Thank you for the mark you left not only on me, but on so many others. Through you, you live on here as well,” a friend of Kerstin wrote.

If Mr Thomas is found guilty, he could face up to three years in prison.