Court Costs

Remember the absurd copyright trolls Larrikin Music? The ones who went after Men At Work for including a short flute riff in "Land Down Under" as part of its homage to all things Australian?

Here's the tragic denouement [ht: @lawgeeknz].

Two years on and it seems the musician was still affected by the court decision, which is believed to have had a significant impact on his financial situation. The 58-year-old's body was discovered by friends at his North Carlton home yesterday - in a modest house he recently moved into after being forced to sell a grand property nearby bought during the Men At Work days and later turned into a studio where Archie Roach's Charcoal Lane was recorded.

Detective Senior Sergeant Shane O'Connell said there were several unexplained circumstances surrounding the death, but would not go into detail.

The cause of death remains unknown, but a close friend of Ham's told The Age last night that he believed Ham had begun using heroin heavily and also abusing alcohol after the Kookaburra case. ''The whole case had undone him,'' said the friend, who asked not to be named.

Dragging people senselessly through the courts has costs.

Congratulations, Larrikin.