How did Oasis so blantantly rip-off "Bang a Gong (Get it On) with "Cigarettes and Alcohol", and get away with it?

Completely different scenario: Edwyn / Orange Juice knowingly, deliberately and unashamedly lifted two complete lines of lyric; as well as the trademark signature lead guitar line; from a Buzzcocks song and immediately acknowledged this clear act of homage in the following line of the song:

"You know me I’m acting dumb-dumb
You know the scene it’s very humdrum
And my favourite song’s entitled 'Boredom'".

i mean, sure the beatles wrote bunches of different chords and melodies, but people still buy those records, above all, because they're familiar--classic. so's bang a gong...

Erm, probably because Bolan ripped it off from someone else first.

I'm not sure it matters, really. I mean Blur's rip-off of "Boys Keep Swinging" was even more blatant if possible, and no-one's ever called them on it.

Radiohead paid up for 'Creep'

I've never heard that. What was Creep a rip-off of?

What song was that?

Actually, the more I think about it, the more litigious it gets. E.g., The chorus of "Boys" goes "Boys keep swinging/Boys always work it out", whereas M.O.R has: "You, me, we, we'll work it out!"

Bowie and Brian Eno have a co-songwriting credit for "MOR" on the single and probably every other release of that song (other than the album).

So yeah, Blur got called on it.

And there's a song of theirs, which esacpes me now, which is a direct ripoff of a Lee Hazlewood song.

"all the young dudes" = the rest of that song!