I'm a bit out of touch ... in Singapore ... just read about it 2 days ago in an old piece of BBC World news! Australian news only makes the BBC when its something ridiculous - but that's another story. I'm also a 60's folkie from Adelaide and I've been reading about this in many posts in many places since yesterday.

My first thought was that any money anybody makes should go to the Girl Guides (or similar current organisation)as that was the clear intention of the author/songwriter at the time.

Then I read Warren's suggestion and that's OK too.

But I have some questions for the legal eagles out there:

1. Does Patsy Biscoe and all the other people who recorded the song long before Larrikin bought it - have to now pay them? From what date did they have to pay them? Did they have to pay royalties dating back from their first recordings? Or only after the purchase?

2. What is the South Australian State library doing selling off State Property to the highest bidder? I gave the Sate library some photos and documents from my ancestors who arrived before 1840 ... can they sell those? Did they have the right to sell it ... what else have they sold that we should know about?

3. I read in some UK blog - that a musician had been contacted by a music publishing company, without saying who they were! - and asked about the writer of a song that had long been regarded as "traditional". Should we be on to our governments everywhere to list songs and music which are part of cultural heritage and have been sung and played for 50 or more years and whose composers are long gone. Should they be put out of reach of copyright by someone who might rearrange slightly and claim. Has anyone tried to copyright Robbie Burns songs?

Cheers from Singapore
Fernhill