Employment Law - What are your Rights as an Employee?

Unless you’re one of the world’s richest, you’re most probab ...

Privacy Laws: Australia

Did you know that Australia has no legal definition for privacy? When the Aust ...

Sympathy for the devil

The Lincoln Lawyer brings to life the perfect villain, writes Jenny Cooney Carrillo.

Film

A HEARTBEAT AWAY PG

Lost appeal no laughing matter

THE rock band Men at Work and record label EMI will, after all, have to hand over 5 per cent of royalties earned on the 1980s hit Down Under since 2002 after losing an appeal to the full bench of the Federal Court yesterday. The songwriter Colin Hay and his publisher, EMI, had argued that a February 2010 ruling that Down Under had taken a substantial part of the folk song Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree was wrong and that there had been no breach of copyright. Lawyers for Hay and EMI listed 14 grounds for the appeal, including that the resemblance between the two songs went unnoticed by the general public and Larrikin Music, which holds the copyright for Kookaburra, for more than 20 years until it was pointed out on the TV show Spicks and Specks. But the appeal judges ruled "the aural resemblance need not be resounding or obvious" and reaffirmed that Down Under did reproduce a substantial part of Marion Sinclair's 1934 Girl Guides' campfire ditty. The judges also confirmed that two 30-second Qantas advertisements containing "a languid orchestral version" of Down Under only contained the second bar of Kookaburra and did not breach Larrikin's copyright. EMI was ordered to pay Larrikin's costs.

Yang release heads off problem for Gillard visit

CHINA'S release of the Australian writer Yang Hengjun has averted a diplomatic crisis before Julia Gillard's first visit to China late this month.

20-year ban, but man kept on driving: court

DANIEL James Thompson had been banned from driving for 20 years but ambitiously described his occupation as a truck driver when asked by police.

Rio's tilt for Riversdale falls short

RIO TINTO'S hopes that a partial acceptance by the Brazilian steelmaker CSN of its $3.9 billion takeover bid for Riversdale Mining would deliver it control of the Mozambique coal developer have been dashed, for the time being at least.

Ethnic voting trends prove powerful force behind political swings

A SECOND great migration is under way for many of Sydney's ethnic groups - not from place to place but from party to party.

Centro US sale under fire

A CAMPAIGN by a group of shareholders that own more than 11 per cent of Centro Properties Group to force Centro to put the planned $US9.4 billion sale of US shopping centres to a shareholder vote is poised to escalate. A key member of the self-styled Centro Shareholders Association is threatening legal action to force Centro to hand over information about the deal, and the financing arrangements on the US properties.

Cap on population in cities could slash the value of houses

SYDNEY real estate prices would fall more than 18 per cent over the next decade if the federal government adopted policies that cap population growth in the biggest capital cities, according to a new report.

Hearing warning

A LAKE Macquarie man charged with making false accusations about a former girlfriend two weeks before she was murdered was given an ultimatum in court yesterday.

Little girl's mum kept her pain and anguish to herself

THROUGHOUT the 12 days Peta Barnes has been in the Supreme Court, she has given little indication of the inner turmoil she has endured for just over two years.

Shareholders step up the pressure on Centro deal

Legal action looms over $US9.4b shopping centre sale, writes Malcolm Maiden

Directors have governance concerns too

THE highly regarded Canadian lawyer and governance specialist, Carol Hansell, readily admits that a lot of worthy corporate responsibility issues have been "talked to death".

CLARE ISAAC

Clare Isaac is a lawyer who had just returned home after working in Singapore and Britain when she got caught up in the buzz of volunteering in the Queensland flood disaster.

Nationals cash in on discontent with Oakeshott

THE retirement of three long-serving Labor MPs and anger over the federal independent MP Rob Oakeshott delivered unprecedented swings in several seats.

tv previews

Wonders of the Solar System NCIS Shelf Life Into the Deep ‚€œ Whaling and the World

THE NEW FACES

MARK SPEAKMAN

Chaser's cup runneth over with new show

THEY flew a blimp over the Vatican and offered knuckle-dusters to NRL fans but the Chaser boys are about to unveil their biggest surprise yet.