Peace and goodwill seems to be washing over us - how truly nice! Jerry, re Jimmy Kennedy, you are right. The warning re use of the tune was there, but I went ahead and put the song out on a small cassette label of my own. The worry was how to defend myself in court against a wealthy publisher when I have no money! A frequent reason why good (enough in the context) guys lose. Also, no regular record label or publisher would have taken the song on.

Re bully boy tactics from collection agencies, that kind of stuff is bad whoever does it, surely. No argument. In Scotland we were so disgusted with discriminatory actions by the Performing Right Society we formed an action group, met eventually with the big boys, got a bit of movement, then our key activist was appointed a special advisor to them. A victory, or someone bought off? Depends on your viewpoint. Are things much different? No really. Did I expect them to be? Not really. Is that any reason not to have fought the fight? Absolutely not. We at least slowed them down and made them think, even if it was only thinking how to disarm us.

Re ownership of songs, songs I've made get changed and adapted all the time. I'm working in the folk idiom, (with occasional folk idiots) it's part of the deal. I don't own my songs, I create (or recreate) them, then they go out into the world, and sometimes send some money home. That's nice. I was astonished to meet a statement in another thread that "Very few people had permission" to perform a particular song. That's as objectionable to me as ASCAP bullying.