A court in Bolzano, Italy, has recognised a German couple as the official discoverers of the Stone Age iceman known as Oetzi. Helmut and Erika Simon, from Nuremberg, first saw Oetzi in 1991 while walking in the Italian Alps close to the border with Austria.
     The retired couple have spent several years in their quest for a finder's fee from the South Tyrol provincial government, who are now considering an appeal. The court award entitles the Simons to 25% of Oetzi's value. The 5,300-year old frozen mummy - the best-preserved Stone Age body in the world, invaluable for scientific research - brings in several million euros-worth of museum fees each year.

Source: BBC (4 November 2003)