( CNN ) -- Brazil , which recently overtook the UK as the world 's sixth-largest economy , has been enjoying a lot of positive press . It is sealing its reputation as a dynamic place , a fun place , a diverse place -- but , with this last point in particular , the country still suffers black eyes . A recent court ruling ordered Sony Music Brazil to pay a hefty fine for a song with racist lyrics . The song , about a black woman 's hair , led civil rights organizations to sue Sony not just because it is offensive but because such pejoratives remain common in Brazil . An appeals court in Rio de Janeiro ruled December 15 that Sony must pay nearly 1.3 million reais ( U.S. $ 723,000 ) for publishing `` Veja os Cabelos Dela , '' or `` Look at Her Hair , '' by the singer and comedian Tiririca . Tiririca , whose real name is Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva , is now a federal congressman and was not named in the suit . Even the judicial process for this case was slow : The song came out more than 15 years ago , and the initial lawsuit was filed in 1997 . `` In the bigger picture , I think the music companies are going to be more careful when they choose music to sell , '' said Humberto Adami , the lawyer for the rights organizations . The recent ruling was simply the completion of the monetary part of the case ; the heart of it was decided years ago , and Sony has abided by it , the company said . `` Since 1997 , spontaneously , Sony Music Brazil removed the track from this product and reissued it in the market , '' the company said . Adami , who recused himself from the case for a period while he served as ombudsman for Brazil 's agency for racial equality , said the ruling comes in an environment where racism lingers . Tiririca 's song , which he reportedly wrote to his wife , includes lyrics comparing a woman 's hair to `` scouring pots and pans '' and about her `` stench . '' In fact , Adami 's clients lost in the first trial because the judge ruled that such comments and `` jokes '' were commonplace in Brazil and that Sony should n't be singled out to pay for it . But the rights organization persisted , given the outrage over the song . Some black children did not go to school because others were bullying them by singing the song , Adami said . `` Bullying combined with racism is a very difficult thing , a very sad and awful thing , '' he said . An appeals court later ruled against Sony by a vote of 2-1 , with the dissenting judge using the same argument as the judge in the first trial . The case was appealed to Brazil 's highest court , but it declined to take the case , so the appeal court ruling stands . But the case was far from over and dragged on for years as both sides went back to the lower courts to fight about how big the fine should be . Sony had paid a smaller fine , but an appeals court last month upheld a ruling that the actual amount to be paid was much larger , closer to the 1.3 million reais . `` This case is a real step forward for Brazil , and Brazil is changing , '' said France Winddance Twine , a sociology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara . Brazilians see themselves as a tolerant society -- interracial marriage was never illegal , other forms of state-sanctioned racism were never implemented , and there were no groups like the Ku Klux Klan -- but the truth is not as tidy . The particular form of racism found in Tiririca 's song has been tolerated for a long time in songs and jokes , said Twine , who has written a book about race in Brazil . `` For the first time , the court is saying , yes , this is common , but it is no longer acceptable , '' she said . `` They are acknowledging that this is harmful to people . ''
A judge recently upheld a fine against Sony Music for a racist song . Brazilians see themselves as tolerant , but racism persists . Sony Music says it removed the offending song right away . The case is a step forward for Brazil , an expert says .