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To: Lokibob
The traditional "Happy Birthday" song is copyrighted.

The melody, with the possible exception of the dotted-eighth/sixteenth rhythm at the start of each line, is in the public domain as it was published prior to 1922 with the lyrics

Good morning to you
Good morning to you
Good morning dear ____ [or dead Children]
Good morning to all
I am unaware of any copy of the Happy Birthday lyrics having been published prior to 1922, though I've read that at least one pre-1922 publication of the work noted that the song was also titled "Happy Birthday to You" but did not explicitly write out the lyrics. It would seem likely that might be sufficient evidence to disqualify the claimed copyright on the lyrics, but a cartoon in 1935 (Ub Iwerks' Mary's Little Lamb) uses the tune (without lyrics) in such a way as to suggest it was primarily known with the "Good Morning to All" lyrics.

That having been said, I'd like to see a restaurant use something like:

Your birthday's today.
What more can we say?
The tune's out of copyright
ASCAP go away.
BTW, that latter point reminds me--I have on occasion heard restaurant staff singing made-up birthday-song replacements to tunes which, while their origins may not be well known, are more recent than "Good Morning to All" and are, in fact, still under copyright.
102 posted on 04/08/2004 10:11:33 PM PDT by supercat (Why is it that the more "gun safety" laws are passed, the less safe my guns seem?)
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To: supercat
HOWEVER:

Snopes has checked it out:
http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/birthday.htm

And here is another one:
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199804/1998.04.17.09.html
'Happy Birthday' Song Copyright Renewed
By Gary Jones

"Happy Birthday", copyright 1935, has had its copyright renewed.
That's why restaurants with waiters who sing to you on your birthday
sometimes use a "corporate" birthday tune instead. They're not paying
the license fee.

Did I hear a rumor that Michael Jackson (yes, "the" Michael Jackson)
purchased the rights to "Happy Birthday" and numerous other popular
standards?

By the by, American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) has a "blanket"
ASCAP and BMI license agreement so that its chapters are covered
for public theatre organ performances and conventions. This way,
each chapter doesn't have to deal with this individually.

Yes, lawyers rule the day.

Do you know the difference between a laywer and a cat fish?
One is a scum sucking bottom feeder, the other is a fish.

BTW, check out my tag line.


294 posted on 04/09/2004 3:34:14 AM PDT by Lokibob (All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
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