Hey, “Happy Birthday” is now in the public domain, and Facebook wants to encourage us all to make our interactions more personal as well as stream more videos at us, so what’s the perfect combination of those things? Encouraging us to leave impersonal birthday messages to people we haven’t seen in years in video form, not text. [More]
happy birthday to everyone
“Happy Birthday” Song Settlement To Pay Out $14 Million To People Who Paid To Use Song
By 2.9.16
Last year, a decades-old battle over the rights to one of the most famous songs in the world finally came to an end when a federal judge ruled that the “Happy Birthday” song is in the public domain, meaning that its publisher, Warner/Chappell, has been improperly charging hefty sums for its use. The terms of a settlement in the case show that Warner will now fork over up to $14 million to people who should not have had to pay to use the song. [More]
Settlement Means “Happy Birthday” Song Will Finally Enter Public Domain
By 12.10.15
The next time you decide to perform a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday To You” on TV, or in a movie or on your debut album, you won’t have to worry about paying anyone for the right to do so: after two years of legal wrangling over who owns the copyright to the classic tune, the parties involved have agreed to settle their differences. [More]
Judge Says “Happy Birthday” Song No Longer Covered By Copyright
By 9.23.15
Filmmakers, musicians, and anyone else wishing to perform “Happy Birthday To You” no longer has to worry about paying hefty royalties to Warner/Chappell, the publisher that has long claimed to hold the copyright for the ditty. Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the classic party tune is in the public domain. [More]
