Happy Birthday To You, Dammit!

[PRR]

This just in...

Happy Birthday copyright is ruled bogus:

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/music-company-does-not-own-happy-birthday-song-copyright-judge-n432001

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/09/judge-warners-2m-happy-birthday-copyright-is-bogus/

 

[Phrazemaster]

Ha! Wonder what that's gonna do to all the royalties that have previously been paid out on it then? Hmmmm could be some deep doo-doo coming!

 

[PRR]

Judge ruled against Time-Warner (current claimants to HB payments); their copyright is invalid, which apparently puts it in Public Domain. (There could be other claimants but little sign of that.) You can sing it at home without watching out the window. More important, restaurants can sing it to you without owing money (I hate that happy-happy-happy replacement jingle one chain sings).

$14 million settlement fund.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/09/judge-warners-2m-happy-birthday-copyright-is-bogus/

The winning team is now looking at "We Shall Overcome" and  "This Land is Your Land." The latter is obviously Woody's, although he did not renew so should have expired by now? But  Ludlow purportedly copyrighted the Song in 1956, and is still taking money.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/08/lawyers-who-nixed-happy-birthday-copyright-will-get-4-6m-in-fees/

 

[CJ]

dang, looks like easy money, hike innto a boy scout campout and film 'row row row your boat" from the brush then ding the BSA account for some coin,

no wait, first you have to buy the copyright,  never mind,  ???

 

[PRR]

There is (was?) a Boy Scout Songbook where all the rights were cleared.