Men at Work Have to Pay 5% Royalties for Plagiarism
Men At Work have been ordered to pay 5% of their royalties from their iconic ’80s hit “Down Under” following an earlier ruling they had plagiarized another song.
While the compensation figure should reach into six figures, attorneys for Larrikin had argued that damages in the region of 40% and 60% of royalties accrued by “Down Under” was reasonable.
Sydney-based Larrikin Music Publishing had launched proceedings against Hay and Strykert, EMI Songs Australia and EMI Music Publishing Australia, claiming the flute refrain in “Down Under” was lifted from “Kookaburra.”
Larrikin, a division of the U.K.’s Music Sales, had rights to represent “Kookaburra,” which was written in the 1930s by music teacher Marion Sinclair, a life-long supporter of the Girl Guide movement.
If Men At Work did plagiarize then it seems as though they go off very lightly.