johnno Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8175974.stm The flute melody really does sound like a rip-off from "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree". Although I'm wondering if there was any intention to plagiarise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Wow, what a hassle for those guys. I feel bad for them. Interesting what the (always correct ) Wikipedia has to say about the song... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra_(song) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 interesting (unreferenced) note in that wikipedia article: "Kookaburra" is sung to the same tune as the Welsh folk song "Wele ti'n eistedd aderyn du?" If that is true then surely it means the Kookaburra song's copyright is only for the lyrics, as it uses a melody from traditional song, which one can assume cannot be held in copyright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 It's nowhere near as bad for them as initially thought... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10518787.stm 5% of all royalties since 2002, plus all future royalties....that can't be too much. I like the judge's quote: "I consider the figures put forward by Larrikin to be excessive, overreaching and unrealistic," Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Moth Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 It's ridiculous. It isn't that similar and is at best a nod to it. What about quotes in Jazz solos? A few years ago there was a court case here in Holland in which some company c laimed no one else could use the first nine notes of Fur Elise because it had long been their jingle. Bizarre! And outrageous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Thanks for following up on this news for us, johnno. Though the penalty they're going to have to pay isn't as egregious as it could have been, I think they've been done wrong. Cloggy, interesting story about Fur Elise. Y'know, sometimes people really !&$#@*&$! suck... [ sigh ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 I just looked up what you were saying about wikipedia. If the tune to kookaburra is from a welsh folk song, SURELY there is no grounds for plagiarism in the Men at work song...last I heard, "Land down under" doesn't actually contain any lyrics from kookaburra. IP law is an ass sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shivermetimbers Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Hotel California ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Sandvik Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 All possible melodies existing in the 12-tone scale have been reused at least 4200 times by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Appeal by EMI has been lost, so the original ruling of 5% of royalties earned since 2002 plus any future royalites still stands: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12918397 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shivermetimbers Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Serves them right for admitting guilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 A few years ago there was a court case here in Holland in which some company c laimed no one else could use the first nine notes of Fur Elise because it had long been their jingle.Bizarre! And outrageous. Wonder what they'd have to say about all those trucks equipped with those semitone back-up "melodies"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Moth Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZYFI5UEoGI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 man..that's a STRETCH to compare those two.. UNLIKE the Lady Antebellum/Alan Parsons issue.. http://consumerist.com/2010/11/you-make-the-call----did-lady-antebellum-rob-alan-parsons-project-blind.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I wonder how much Usher is gonna have to pay up for his blatant melodic theft. http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=0vGtM1Vh7LI&start1=3&video2=VgAXZHMi_ws&start2=0&authorName=Ann+O'Nymous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgenerous Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 "There's nothing new except what's been forgotten." Patrick Moraz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madgear Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 and then there's who gets away with murder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Finally, proof that reincarnation is real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Moth Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madgear Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Finally, proof that reincarnation is real. .....karmic pun..........didn't get it at first...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madgear Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 : ...ditto.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Finally, proof that reincarnation is real. .....karmic pun..........didn't get it at first...... Yes, not to be confused with reintarnation which is coming back to life as a hillbilly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madgear Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Finally, proof that reincarnation is real. .....karmic pun..........didn't get it at first...... Yes, not to be confused with reintarnation which is coming back to life as a hillbilly. Person #1 - Have I've seen you some where before? Person #2 - Of course you have (person #1's name), it's me (person #2's name), I just got reintarnationed. Person #1 - AWESOME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Moth Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 If all the cars in this country were pink... we;d have a pink carnation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyreww Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 If all the cars in this country were pink... we;d have a pink carnation! LOL - nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waters Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 yeah my brother actually dates the daughter of the original bass player from men at work, some school still owned the rights to the kookaburra song, by law yeah they did plagiarise the melody, it's ridiculous though, the song is a national iconic song, and so is the kookaburra song, it's more of a theme thing, as to why they did that melody. I don't see kraft suing them because they mentioned a Vegemite sandwich, I s'pose the school saw a buck in it so they decided to cash in, but yeah I don't think they got stung too hard, but still pretty lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.