Down Under rip off accusations

[relaxmax]

It really gets my goat up when money pinching rock spiders come out of nowhere and accuse one of our greatest musical exports of theft.  Definitely a case of the green eyed monster coming out to play.  Whats next ABBAite attacking Paul Kelly for a riff in Other peoples houses?

[oldshepp]

Totally agree

Its amazing how Larrikin music have owned the rights to this Girl Guides tune for a few years now but never felt sufficiently offended enough by the "rip off" to do anything about it until Spicks And Specks highlighted it on one of their programs.

Smells like a money grab?  You betcha.

Hopefully EMI appeal this decision and commonsense will prevail.

[motcher76]

There is something obscene and tacky about this whole affair, and the public gloating by the nobs from Larrikin over the courtroom win is quite sickening. Usually I couldn't give a toss about a couple of money-grubbing music houses bitching and bickering amongst themselves, but this is beyond belief. No wonder people get cynical about the large music companies.

 

[Rosie125]

Yes, I couldn't believe that decision.
I reckon it's really stretching things to say it was "stolen" from Kookaburra.
I bet you could find similar parts in lots of  songs if you tried hard enough.
Down Under would have been just as good without that part anyway.
But what really gets me is Poms cashing in on it.

[summercity]

I dont think that there is much difference between them borrowing barely one bar of music and all the rappers who endlessly sample other peoples music without giving them renumeration.There are only so many notes in a scale, that is why there are so many songs that sound similar.I personally dont think that they have borrowed enough of the song to be sued. The rule used to be that if you borrowed more than two bars of a song, then you were in trouble.

[motcher76]

That's an interesting point about sampling artists Summercity. The major labels have tried, and failed, with courtroom battles over this; at least in U.K. & U.S. (I know Oz copyright law has varying elements).

I'm pretty naive about these things, but at face value the Larrikin/EMI decision does appear to create a pretty dangerous precedent. I don't have much time or sympathy for any of the bleeding-heart major music houses, but in this particular instance I do hope EMI appeal the decision and I wish them well. As for Larrikin; they're no better than ambulance-chasers

Cheers 

[relaxmax]

It's never been about the music that's for sure.  Just a bunch of pigs whose snout got knocked out of the trough muscling their way in for a quick buck.  I'm sure I read that they are appealing the decision...