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Men At Work’s Colin Hay has been speaking out about the recent Australian court ruling which found in favor of the plagiarism claims against the band’s famous hit “Down Under.” He stated bitterly that the suit was motivated by “opportunistic greed” and said that the action was “all about money, make no mistake.” Publishers Larrikin bought the action against the band after having secured the rights to the popular campfire song “Kookaburra” from the original author Marion Sinclair. Though few expected the action to succeed, a court ruled in favor of Larrikin and damages are estimated at between 40% to 60% of the royalties accrued since the song first hit the charts in 1982. In an open letter Hay admitted that his appropriation of the two bars of Kookaburra was referenced but that its use was "inadvertent, naive, [and] unconscious.” No matter what the damage may be, “Down Under” remains the band’s most recognizable hit and fans will be pleased to hear Hay’s defiant assertion that “‘Down Under’ lives in my heart, and may perhaps live in yours. I claim it, and will continue to play it, for as long as you want to hear it.”

The latest in a long line of plagiarism stories involves the largely defunct Aussie band Men at Work and a song that hit the charts over 20 years ago. In the 1980s, Men at Work enjoyed significant global success and “Down Under” remains the most recognizable and successful single they released. Unfortunately, music publishing company Larrikin have just decided that the tune was rather too similar to the popular campfire song, “Kookaburra,” beloved of girl guides the world over. Larrikin bought the rights to “Kookaburra” from the original author Marion Sinclair, and now intends to sue Men at Work and their label for lost royalties. Though the similarities are hard to hear, the threat against the band and their iconic song has resulted in a resurgence of interest and a proliferation of support groups across the internet. In all, 2009 hasn’t been a great year for Men at Work: in February two members of the band attracted unsavory headlines following Ron Strykert’s arrest for making death threats against Colin Hay. With a plagiarism suit to add to the tale of woe, it looks like it will be quite some time before it's Business as Usual again down under.

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