This really is utterly ridiculous, but hilarious nonetheless!
Last year, Sydney-based Larrikin Music Publishing initiated compensation proceedings against the band Men at Work and their label EMI. Their claim is that the flute refrain from the Australian group’s 1980s hit "Down Under" was copied from the campfire anthem "Kookaburra." This particular song was originally written in the 1930s by Marion Sinclair, “a life-long supporter of the Girl Guide movement.” Larrikin argue that they represent "Kookaburra."
However, the defendants maintain that copyright resides with the Girl Guides Association of Victoria when Sinclair entered the song in a competition. Justice Peter Jacobson disagreed, nevertheless, when he told the court on July 30, "I do not consider that the words in the [contract Ms. Sinclair signed with the Girl Guides] are sufficient to disclose, on an objective consideration, an intention to effect an assignment of copyright." The outcome of the case will be decided at a later date in the Federal Court.
I guess the moral of the story is always keep a close tab on those silly piano lines, guitar riffs, and flute refrains you dreamt up at summer camp. You never know which illustrious bands are out there looking to plagiarize your work.
