NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York jury on Tuesday cleared composer Andrew Lloyd Webber of copyright infringement charges brought by another composer in an 8-year-old lawsuit. Webber, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his musical accomplishments, was sued by Ray Repp, a composer of religious folk music, who charged Webber had used a passage from Repp‘s song "Till You" as theme music for the "Phantom of the Opera." Repp, 56, filed the suit in 1991. Webber countersued, saying Repp had stolen the song from an earlier Webber musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Webber lost that suit, and Repp‘s suit was dismissed. An appeals court reinstated it. The 9-person jury deliberated only briefly before ruling unanimously in favour of Webber, creator with lyricist Tim Rice of "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita" and many other blockbuster musicals. In a statement released through his publicist, Webber said, "I have been totally vindicated. This is a victory not just for me but for all songwriters who have been plagued by contingency lawyers."