EMI Music Publishing is thought to be considering suing Tourism Australia for copyright infringement.
A new ad for Tourism Australia has been released. And its soundtrack - a cliché-ridden ditty riffing on how there's "nothing like Australia" - is alleged to contain similarities to the time-honoured Mickey Mouse Club theme tune. EMI controls the Australian rights to the Disney hit, and a report in the Brisbane Times ponders whether legal action will follow.
This comes only months after the record company took a hammering in court. In February, the Federal Court ruled that the classic Men at Work hit Down Under reproduced a significant part of the quintessential Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree. EMI and the writers of the song face a huge bill in damages and lost royalties.
Donna Weston of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music commented that the case over Down Under was a "lot less obvious" than the Tourism Australia/Disney comparison, with the chord progression being "strikingly similar". IP lawyer Tony Bennett (not the leather-skinned singer) told the Brisbane Times that "there are snippets of melody that are similar, and the tempo and rhythm is the same". So it doesn't look good for Tourism Australia.
RollOnFriday has, on behalf of its readers, listened to both extensively with musical ears cocked. And can exclusively reveal that they want Paul Hogan (who boosted Aussie tourism so successfully in the eighties) back.
Tip Off ROF
A new ad for Tourism Australia has been released. And its soundtrack - a cliché-ridden ditty riffing on how there's "nothing like Australia" - is alleged to contain similarities to the time-honoured Mickey Mouse Club theme tune. EMI controls the Australian rights to the Disney hit, and a report in the Brisbane Times ponders whether legal action will follow.
This comes only months after the record company took a hammering in court. In February, the Federal Court ruled that the classic Men at Work hit Down Under reproduced a significant part of the quintessential Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree. EMI and the writers of the song face a huge bill in damages and lost royalties.
 |
The EMI board meet to discuss the claim |
Donna Weston of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music commented that the case over Down Under was a "lot less obvious" than the Tourism Australia/Disney comparison, with the chord progression being "strikingly similar". IP lawyer Tony Bennett (not the leather-skinned singer) told the Brisbane Times that "there are snippets of melody that are similar, and the tempo and rhythm is the same". So it doesn't look good for Tourism Australia.
RollOnFriday has, on behalf of its readers, listened to both extensively with musical ears cocked. And can exclusively reveal that they want Paul Hogan (who boosted Aussie tourism so successfully in the eighties) back.