PDA

View Full Version : Who owns 'Happy Birthday?' Lawsuit seeks return of millions




RonPaulFanInGA
06-14-2013, 03:55 PM
http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/14/news/companies/happy-birthday-lawsuit/index.html


You may not know it, but you could owe Warner/Chappell Music thousands of dollars from all the birthday parties you've attended in your life.

Warner/Chappell Music claims to own the copyright to the 120-year old, 16-word song that is widely credited with being the best known piece of music in the English language. That means anyone who performs the song publicly risks a $150,000 fine if they don't agree to pay a fee to the music group.

While the company doesn't actually come after private individuals for singing the song to their 3-year-olds, it technically could. And it does demand money anytime the song is sung on a television show or movie.

jclay2
06-14-2013, 04:07 PM
Where are all the intellectual property rights advocates to say how marvelous this is.

Acala
06-14-2013, 04:08 PM
I would be interested to hear anyone justify awarding copyrights that last longer than the life of the composer.

I would also be interested to hear some decent attempts at an open source replacement for the stupid Happy Birthday song. Is American culture really so shallow that the best we can come up with is that piece of crap?

ClydeCoulter
06-14-2013, 04:09 PM
Isn't there, like, an expiration date or something?

ClydeCoulter
06-14-2013, 04:11 PM
I would be interested to hear anyone justify awarding copyrights that last longer than the life of the composer.

I would also be interested to hear some decent attempts at an open source replacement for the stupid Happy Birthday song. Is American culture really so shallow that the best we can come up with is that piece of crap?

"You're another year older, you're another year older, another year older, and little bit bolder, too..."(c) 2013 Clyde F. Coulter, Jr., All rights reserved. :D

heavenlyboy34
06-14-2013, 04:19 PM
Isn't there, like, an expiration date or something?
Lifetime of the "creator" plus 20 years. (that was in the year 2000. It's probably longer now) Plus, other people can inherit or buy the copyright, keeping a "creation" out of public domain forever.

IP=fail.

heavenlyboy34
06-14-2013, 04:22 PM
I would be interested to hear anyone justify awarding copyrights that last longer than the life of the composer.

I would also be interested to hear some decent attempts at an open source replacement for the stupid Happy Birthday song. Is American culture really so shallow that the best we can come up with is that piece of crap?
As far as pop culture goes, pretty much. This kind of thing, unlike government, actually is a decent reflection of a society's popular "mind".

Icymudpuppy
06-14-2013, 04:44 PM
It's been edited a bit by the youtuber, but here is an alternative birthday song


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WKXMrXmf7w