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'Happy Birthday to You' belongs to us all, lawsuit says
 [Pak Daily Times] "Happy Birthday to You", the ditty sung around the world in tribute to everyone from toddlers to centenarians, belongs to the public, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday. The proposed class action asks a federal court to declare the song to be in the public domain and that Warner/Chappel Music Inc, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, return "millions of dollars of unlawful licensing fees" it has collected for reproductions and public performances of the song. "More than 120 years after the melody to which the simple lyrics of 'Happy Birthday to You' is set was first published, defendant Warner/Chappell boldly, but wrongfully and unlawfully, insists that it owns the copyright to 'Happy Birthday to You,'" the lawsuit said. A representative of Warner/Chappell was not immediately available to comment on the lawsuit.Posted by: Fred 2013-06-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=370253 |