By Bethany Bell BBC correspondent in Vienna

Working out how much Otzi is worth will not be easy

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.