Judge Rules "Happy Birthday to You" Song to Be in the Public Domain
25 replies, posted
[URL="http://time.com/4045736/happy-birthday-copyright-music-royalties-lyrics/"]http://time.com/4045736/happy-birthday-copyright-music-royalties-lyrics/[/URL][QUOTE](LOS ANGELES) — A federal judge has ruled that the music publishing company that has been collecting royalties for the song “Happy Birthday To You” does not hold a valid copyright to the popular tune that is sung worldwide.
U.S. District Judge George H. King ruled Tuesday that the copyright originally filed by the Clayton F. Summy Co. in 1935 granted only the rights to specific arrangements of the tune and not the actual song itself.[/quote]
sure all it took was them showing an actual songbook from years before the supposed publishing date and several years of arguing to get their copyright invalidated.
I didn't even know someone owned the setting.
Is this a good thing for copyright law? I mean, it certainly sounds like it, but I'm no lawyer.
Its a good thing for people who want to have characters actually sing the happy birthday song and not mumble some weird thing the writers made up. Literally has no other effect.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9EyEwlgVUQ[/media]
The last happy birthday song to avoid copyright is one of the best, fitting.
But how will we get such creative alternatives?
[video=youtube;ATyHIT5LV8g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATyHIT5LV8g[/video]
This makes me wonder what other cultural customs people have a copyright on.
[QUOTE=Banned?;48743267]I didn't even know someone owned the setting.[/QUOTE]
It is why restaurants that sing happy birthday to customers have to get creative.
[QUOTE=GunFox;48743536]It is why restaurants that sing happy birthday to customers have to get creative.[/QUOTE]
To be fair, I'm sure the copyright holders of Happy Birthday are far from the only people who want to sue restaurants that sing Happy Birthday.
[QUOTE=Banned?;48743267]I didn't even know someone owned the setting.[/QUOTE]
It's a weird thing that really changes your perspective on a lot of media once you know it. You suddenly realize that people in TV shows and maybe even some movies never sing the EXACT Happy Birthday song, but always sing a generic OTHER song that may or may not even exist.
It's like when you learn that Super Bowl is a closely guarded copyright. You suddenly become aware of all the commercials leading up to the Super Bowl that never EXPLICITLY say "Super Bowl" but instead just say "the big game" or "game night"
Finally. This was always a glaring case of copyright abuse.
According to wikiped the judge only ruled the lyrics of the song as public domain material, not the melody.
We have been singing that song in Denmark for ages, even in restaurants and stuff.
What the fuck? Denmark isn't china, how did that work?
[QUOTE=FlandersNed;48743782]According to wikiped the judge only ruled the lyrics of the song as public domain material, not the melody.[/QUOTE]
The melody is actually already public domain iirc, because the tune is 'good morning to you' and that's pd
[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;48743832]We have been singing that song in Denmark for ages, even in restaurants and stuff.
What the fuck? Denmark isn't china, how did that work?[/QUOTE]
It was only really a big deal if you used the song in a sold product or uploaded it online. Which is still fucking stupid, don't get me wrong.
For he's a jolly good fellow!
[QUOTE=Ithon;48743379][media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9EyEwlgVUQ[/media]
The last happy birthday song to avoid copyright is one of the best, fitting.[/QUOTE]
That is the best birthday song, even beating the classic.
Guess I can use something other than this finally
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXkT54U6ZmI[/media]
[QUOTE=GunFox;48743536]It is why restaurants that sing happy birthday to customers have to get creative.[/QUOTE]
Actually, I went to a restaurant that sang the original song.
Here I kept using Hapi Berth Dey all this time
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f2PCWYAZQc[/media]
[QUOTE=teddthebucfan;48743180][URL="http://time.com/4045736/happy-birthday-copyright-music-royalties-lyrics/"]http://time.com/4045736/happy-birthday-copyright-music-royalties-lyrics/[/URL][/QUOTE]
I remember reading about this in a Uncle John's bathroom reader not sure which one, but it's about damn time!
[url]http://jackofkent.com/2015/09/happy-birthday-and-the-public-domain/[/url]
Not true (Source is the writer for the FT on Law)
[QUOTE=FlashMarsh;48762266][url]http://jackofkent.com/2015/09/happy-birthday-and-the-public-domain/[/url]
Not true (Source is the writer for the FT on Law)[/QUOTE]
I meant I read about it when it still had a copyright in Uncle John's bathroom reader.
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