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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Men At Work lose plagiarism case | Men At Work lose plagiarism case |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The Australian band Men at Work are facing a big legal bill after a court ruled it had plagiarised a Girl Guides' song in its 1983 hit, Down Under. | The Australian band Men at Work are facing a big legal bill after a court ruled it had plagiarised a Girl Guides' song in its 1983 hit, Down Under. |
| Larrikin Music had claimed the flute riff from the 1981 hit was stolen from Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, written by Marion Sinclair in 1934. | Larrikin Music had claimed the flute riff from the 1981 hit was stolen from Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, written by Marion Sinclair in 1934. |
| The federal court in Sydney ordered compensation to be paid. | The federal court in Sydney ordered compensation to be paid. |
| That amount has yet to be determined but Larrikin's lawyer said it could reach 60% of income from the song. | That amount has yet to be determined but Larrikin's lawyer said it could reach 60% of income from the song. |
| "It's a big win for the underdog," said Larrikin's lawyer Adam Simpson after the judgment. | "It's a big win for the underdog," said Larrikin's lawyer Adam Simpson after the judgment. |
| Sinclair, who died in 1988, wrote the song for performance at a Girl Guides Jamboree in 1935. | Sinclair, who died in 1988, wrote the song for performance at a Girl Guides Jamboree in 1935. |
| Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree has since been sung by generations of Australian schoolchildren. | Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree has since been sung by generations of Australian schoolchildren. |
| I said 'Do you speak my language?'He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8178913.stm">What are the lyrics about? | |
| A costs hearing will take place in late February, with Larrikin seeking 40%-60% of earnings from songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert and record companies Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Songs Australia. | A costs hearing will take place in late February, with Larrikin seeking 40%-60% of earnings from songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert and record companies Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Songs Australia. |
| Down Under, first released in 1983, was used in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. | Down Under, first released in 1983, was used in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. |
| A number one in Australia, the US and the UK, the song tells the story of an Australian backpacker touring the world. | A number one in Australia, the US and the UK, the song tells the story of an Australian backpacker touring the world. |
| It pays tribute to "a land down under where beer does flow and men chunder". | It pays tribute to "a land down under where beer does flow and men chunder". |
| The song also refers to the popular Australian food spread Vegemite. | The song also refers to the popular Australian food spread Vegemite. |
| "I said 'Do you speak my language?', he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich," says an Australian traveller in Brussels. | "I said 'Do you speak my language?', he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich," says an Australian traveller in Brussels. |