Ivan, I'm no legal expert, and you should never get legal advice/opinions from lay people in internet chat forums--especially folk music chat forums engaged in the kind of misinformation this issue has generated!

OK, having qualified my statement first, I will simply say it is my understanding that the reason why the alleged aggrieved musicians have not pursued court cases against Bulmer is because the courts are highly unlikely to overturn Bulmer's rights of ownership to both the masters and the rights, which he gained fair and square when he bought the Leader/Trailer catalogs. It is also my understanding of UK law that the masters and the rights go to the new owner of the catalog upon their sale to a third party, unless otherwise stipulated in the original contract. So as I understand it, the musicians who originally signed contracts with Leader/Trailer didn't have stipulations in their contracts for the masters and rights to revert to them, rather than a third party, upon sale of the Leader/Trailer companies.

As I've said repeatedly, it isn't Dave Bulmer's fault that so many folk musicians fail to exercise their legal rights by refusing to consult qualified solicitors to review their contracts and advise them on how to proceed.

Especially, as Michael Ollier pointed out, Northumbrian pipers who WERE forewarned, forearmed, advised by many seasoned professionals, etc etc!