9 years ago
2
Sing your little hearts out! Judge rules 'Happy Birthday' song in public domain
The music publishing company that has been collecting royalties on the song "Happy Birthday To You" for years does not hold a valid copyright on the lyrics to the tune that is one of the mostly widely sung in the world, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
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https://au.news.yahoo.com
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It seems Warner tried to conceal evidence (they blurred a relevant line from the copy of the 15th edition of The Everyday Song Book they provided to the court), so they knew they weren't entitled to the royalties they collected (or at least that their claim was dubious). I hope the court forces them to return all the money they extorted.
In Quebec we'll keep the alternative we developed in the 70s to get around the copyright issue which also double as our non-official national hymn. :)