Australian 1980s Hit Infringed Copyright On Girl Guides’ ‘Kookaburra’ Song

MELBOURNE, Australia—A case centered on two of Australia’s best-loved and most well-known songs concluded Feb. 4 with the Federal Court of Australia ruling a 1981 global hit called “Down Under” had infringed the copyright of a song written in 1934 as an entry for a competition run by the Girl Guides (Larrikin Music Publishing Pty. Ltd. v. EMI Songs Australia Pty. Ltd.).

Larrikin Music Publishing Pty. Ltd. owns the copyright in a popular children’s song called “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree,” which was written by Marion Sinclair in 1934 about one of Australia’s native birds.

Larrikin ...