"It seems then that you are quite happy with some copyrighted material but not all. "
How do you make that out Dave ?
Copyright doesn't come into what goes on in the clubs, just what constitutes a folk song
You really are not ansering my points

I have no problem with using the tradition to make folk songs - They won't become folk songs until they are absorbed into an oral tradition and become the property of 'the folk' but that doesn't stop them being sung at folk clubs
As far as I am concerned, using the tradition to make new songs is essential - a continuance of the tradition, if not part of it

Excuses are not answers - one more time - how do you define a folk song
Jim