Kookaburra Men at Work

The band Men at Work was sued for infringing upon the copyright of the children's song "Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree". In February 2010 a judge in Australia ruled hat Men At Work's song "Down Under" used the melody as the flute riff or 'hook' of the song. The owner of "Kookaburra"'s copyright, Larrikin Publishing, is seeking between 40% and 60% of the song's royalties for the last six years. Lawyers for both sides are set to arrange a financial agreement on February 25, 2010.http://newsblog.thecmuwebsite.com/post/Kookaburra-publisher-wins-down-under-copyright-case.aspx

The "Kookaburra" song was written by Marion Sinclair in the early-1930's. When Sinclair died in 1988, Larrikin Publishing purchased the copyright.http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/04/down.under.kookaburra/

The single "Down Under" was included in Men at Work's 1982 album Business as Usual. The song was an international hit that topped the charts in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The song was written by Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. The album Business as Usual earned the group a Best New Artist award at the 1983 Grammys. The single "Who Can It Be Now" was also off of the same album.http://www.billboard.com/song/men-at-work/who-can-it-be-now/1833910#/artist/men-at-work/bio/5187

In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) named "Down Under" as one of Australia's 10 Best Songs.http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/MusicAwards/History/2001Top10Songs.aspx