Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-03-02
- Tim Blair explains incompetence and irresponsibility of environment minister Peter Garrett's home insulation scheme: http://bit.ly/dfNoTe #
- Aussie Judge tries to talk sense into Catholics about evils of celibacy following conviction of pedophile priest: http://bit.ly/d7odmy #
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-02-23
- The greatest American hero – 67 year old Vietnam veteran Thomas Bruso defends himself against a hooligan on the bus: http://bit.ly/9fyahX #
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-02-09
- "Green" Prius car turns out be be extremely expensive for Toyota: http://bit.ly/c7s4Ns #
- Investigation by Guardian newspaper suggests that climategate scientist Phil Jones concealed flaws in Chinese data: http://bit.ly/bZxtxh #
- Religious discrimination by Australian government – refuses funding for atheist conference: http://bit.ly/9zJo3s #
- Indian who claimed to be a victim of a racist attack by white Australians turns out to be an insurance fraudster: http://bit.ly/9lUSjU #
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Men At Work Should Pay Minimal Damages For Using “Kookaburra” Riff in Hit Song
In a recent court case, the Australian rock band “Men At Work” were found to have infringed on the copyright of a famous Australian folk song, “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree”, by using the melody as an accompanying flute riff in their hit song “Land down under”.
The lawsuit was launched by a company named Larrikin Music, who had purchased the rights to the Kookaburra song in 1990, following the death of its original creator Marion Sinclair – a music teacher, who wrote the song in 1934 for use at a Girl Guide jamboree.
Here are some media links:
- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/1008582/spicks-and-specks-silent-after-down-under-ruling
- http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/larrikin-music-publishing-snares-land-down-under-royalties/story-e6frg8n6-1225826893478
I have been asked what I think of this.
The fact is that copyright law is very clear on the rules concerning the use of other people’s copyright works. Colin Hay, the lead singer of Men at Work, has confirmed that the flute riff was a homage from “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree”. If Larrikin Music are the legal owners of the copyright, they have a case in law. The question is how much should they pay in royalties. To determine what is correct, we should consider the following:
1. The song “Land Down Under” was released by Men at Work in 1981. The creator of the original song, Marion Sinclair, never raised any complaints when she was alive. The song was very popular, and no doubt if she felt that it infringed on her rights, she would have said something.
2. It took 20 years for any members of the public to find a connection between both songs. Indeed, Larrikin Music only became aware when it was mentioned on the ABC TV music game show “Spicks and Specs” in 2008 , so one could hardly argue that the connection between the songs was obvious or significant.
3. The copyright was purchased by Larrikin Music in 1990, from the South Australian public trustee, following the death of Sinclair in 1988. According to media reports, they paid several thousand dollars for the song and now Larrikin music have suggested that they want to be paid between 40-60% of the royalites on Men At Work’s song in compensation. This certainly reeks of cheap opportunism.
4. Marion Sinclair did not enforce her copyright on the song, effectively letting it be sung without restrictions, leading to the song to come to be known in Australian society like a traditional ‘Aussie folk song’. It is sung regularly by children in schools who have never been asked to pay for royalties.
For these reasons, it is my opinion that Men at Work did infringe on the copyright, but any royalties should be limited to a token payment.
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-02-02
- Britain facing decade of economic pain: http://bit.ly/63tn9h #
- Younger investors becoming more risk averse than older investors: http://bit.ly/9gyvRs #
- Scientists create brain cells (neurons) from skin cells, offer hope to Alzheimers and Parkinsons patients: http://bit.ly/90fGRh #
- Why google finally stood up to China: http://bit.ly/dAQxFX #
- Amusing ourselves to death – Brave New World vs 1984: http://bit.ly/cWFfy1 #
- Israel issues first official response to Goldstone report on Gaza: http://bit.ly/9TtRw0 #
- Date that high school geek! If you don't, you may be passing up an awesome opportunity: http://bit.ly/bLDLFD #
- NSW Labor government promises new, simplified ticketing system for Sydney: http://bit.ly/cVNiaD #
- Lots of tips on dealing with abusive, sociopathic bosses: http://bit.ly/6ZVdCg #
- An excellent guide to defemation law (and its pitfalls) in Australia: http://bit.ly/65F8Be #
- How to save money on the web by setting up alerts for discount coupons: http://bit.ly/bzUpGM #
- Definitive guide to Palladium investing: http://bit.ly/dtywbv #
- Australia's cheapest oceanfront suburbs: http://bit.ly/6WNrtT #
- Aussies pay most globally for SMS text messages: http://bit.ly/6uFsjv #
- 16 year old muslim girl from Bangladesh sentenced to 101 lashes for becoming pregnant after being raped: http://bit.ly/ccavts #
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-01-26
- Crazed ex-Indonesian leader Dr Mahatir says that making of film "Avatar" proves that 9/11 attacks could have been faked http://bit.ly/8PLLM2 #
- Rip-off Lane Cove toll road in receivership: bit.ly/6GASoM #
- UN Climate Chief retracts alarmist claims of imminent disappearance of Himalayan glaciers: bit.ly/5tIth1 #
- Britain facing decade of economic pain: http://bit.ly/69EoG9 #
- CSIRO comes to its senses and admits that it can't attribute drought to climate change: http://bit.ly/6nAksD #
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-01-19
- Some imported Chinese toys are being made with high levels of the heavy metal Cadmium, which is toxic to children: http://bit.ly/8DFlXl #
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Here’s Trouble Brief Blogs for 2010-01-12
- Test your "Palestine IQ" by answering this quiz – Part 1: http://bit.ly/86T9Sf and Part2: http://bit.ly/81gVFq #
- Article from ninemsn "What can 2009 teach us [about money]": http://bit.ly/85DKz0 #
- Economic report written by Commsec says that NSW Economy is worst performing in Australia: http://bit.ly/5nTvbW #
- Apparently, Channel 10 will not be hosting Australian Idol this year: http://bit.ly/4EhFKG #
- Saab automobile, maker of grossly overpriced Swedish cars, goes into liquidation: http://bit.ly/5OuIDP #
- Aussie dollar reaches 25-yr high against Pound. Let's go to London, drink and trash their streets like they did to us! http://bit.ly/58Ey0u #
- Is the mainstream media obsessed with Israel, at the expense of other world affairs? This site believes so: http://bit.ly/4YmEAW #
- More proof that selling carbon credits is identical to selling catholic religious indulgences – a scam: http://bit.ly/8w8bJb #
- Iraq government plans to sue Israel for 1981 bombing of Osirak Nuclear reactor: http://bit.ly/53Yi69 #
- 10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist: http://bit.ly/5xsaaV #
- Study suggests that eating choline rich foods like eggs during pregnancy can improve the baby's brain development: http://bit.ly/8HL28p #
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Help Identify These ATM Skimming Suspects
The people in the following CCTV security video are wanted in relation to a large ATM-skimming operation in Sydney and Wollongong. Here, they are shown using illegally cloned ATM cards to withdraw money from Commonwealth Bank ATMs in Burwood and Bankstown.
Detectives allegedly discovered large amounts of money had been stolen from accounts accessed at ATMs in Bankstown, Parramatta, Burwood, Chinatown and Haymarket in Sydney. It is assumed that these ATM had been fitted with sophisticated skimming devices that captured the magnetic strip of the cards and the PIN number entered on the keypad.
If you recognise them, please contact Wollongong Police on (02) 4226 7899 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000:
For more info, read the following articles:
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Farewell to 2009
Here’s Trouble hopes you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and all other relevant Season’s greeting.
May the new year of 2010 bring you financial security and satisfaction, and opportunities to pursue hobbies and relationships. The golden lesson that I have learnt over the last few years is that you, as a person, have more power to improve the lives and well-being of your friends, family and employer than any politician, banker or economist.
Let me recap briefly on the year that was 2009:
Global Financial Crisis
In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, Australia has so far avoided a recession thanks to solid demand for raw materials from China, a recovery in metals prices and a lower US dollar leading to cheaper imports. The Federal government’s $200 billion dollar stimulus package has also helped fuel a recovery in consumer and business spending.
As a result, the biggest risk to the Australian economy is interest rate rises. In addition to the $200 billion that the Government had to borrow, household debt has blown out to $1.2 trillion dollars, or $56,000 for every man, woman and child or 100.2% of GDP. A hike in interest rates, e.g. to manage inflation, would be devastating.
Nonetheless, our problems are nothing compared to the USA. Although they are out of recession, the US government is expected to run a budget deficit of US$1 trillion for fiscal year 2009, resulting in a total debt of $12.8 trillion dollars. This is largely due to the financing of the Iraq war, government bailouts of failing firms under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).
The US have no way in hell to pay back this money, the only way I can see them getting out of this debt problem is by devaluing their own currency by promoting inflation, which will make a lot of people around the world very unhappy.
Furthermore, as a result of bailing out financial firms, which were responsible for the reckless actions that led to the Global Financial Crisis, they have preserved these greedy corporate cultures which will no doubt survive to repeat history in the future.
ETS Defeated
The stupid Emissions Trading Scheme was defeated in the Australian senate, not because of its stupidity, but because of political infighting. The main casualty was Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, who was replaced by Tony Abbott. I do not yet know what to make of Abbott.
Copenhagen summit
Although this received a lot of coverage, I consider it a minor event. Representatives from countries and scientific groups around the world met in Copenhagen and had a party with PowerPoint presentations and movies. Due to the diversity of opinions and lack of consensus about the problem, they reached a token agreement which lacked specifics.
Michael Jackson
The King of Pop died tragically and people suddenly remembered how much they really liked him. Pity it came too late. Say anything you want, but his Music and Dancing were revolutionary.
Nathan Rees Replaced As NSW Premier
The former garbo, after a very unproductive premiership, was replaced by some religious chick. I expect little to change apart from the news photos. State Rail is still a shambles and they still plan to sell off energy retailers for rock bottom prices to raise cash.
As always, I have a tone of half-done articles waiting to be completed. My new year’s resolution is to finish them off and post them.
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