Bert, I was interested in your previous? profession because that is where I think the views I expressed and your response come to cross purposes. I too earn my living by "intellectual ability" and yes, I certainly expect to be paid for it. What I do not expect is to be continued to be paid for a design or system if it is used again.

It seems to me artistic effort, as noted above, derives most of its monetary value as opposed to artistic merit from the artist. With singing, the greatest songwriter who ever lived was/is anon, and the fact that someone well known records a song adds nothing to it, but if people buy a CD or go to a concert, the vast majority do so for the singer regardless of the songs.

I may be wrong, I'm certainly biased, but the number of "folk" songs that are in common usage and can be traced to a current author is a minute proportion of the canon. I agree that we all want common sense to be the determining factor, but given legislation currently in place, do we really want to chance losing the legal right to perform one of Anon's works because XYZ has recorded a version of it, to safeguard income for those who write "folk", as opposed to "pop" songs which are intended to be recorded by someone else?

Pete M