A retired German couple who discovered a Stone Age iceman known as Oetzi in the Italian Alps has been acknowledged as his official finders by a court in South Tyrol.
The move opens up the possibility of a finder's reward for the couple.
Helmut and Erika Simon from Nuremberg in Germany first caught sight of Oetzi while walking in the mountains on the Austro-Italian border in 1991.
Since then they have spent several years at loggerheads with the South Tyrol provincial government over the question of a finder's fee for the 5,300-year-old frozen mummy.
Appeal 'considered'
Now a court in Bolzano has recognised the couple as his official discoverers.
That makes the Simons eligible for 25% of Oetzi's value.
However, working out how much the world's best preserved Stone Age man is actually worth will not be easy.
His frozen body is a star tourist attraction in Bolzano, bringing in several million euros in museum fees every year and scientists have described him as an invaluable source for research.
A spokesman for South Tyrol's government says an appeal is being considered.
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