On September 22, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that very specific piano arrangements of "Happy Birthday" is copyrighted, but the lyrics and melody are not. The copyright owners, Warner/Chappell, have been earning around $2 million on the song each year.
The song (originally "Good Morning to All" with the melody later also being used for "Happy Birthday To You") was written for kindergartners by sisters Mildred and Patty Hill in 1893.
Because "Happy Birthday" had been under copyright, the public had to get creative with its celebratory singsong in movies, plays, and restaurants - hence the improvised birthday ditty you got embarrassed by at Chi-Chi's when you were 13.
No comments:
Post a Comment