Reply #213: No. [View All]

[lumberjack_jeff]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You

The combination of melody and lyrics in "Happy Birthday to You" first appeared in print in 1912, and probably existed even earlier.<2>, pp. 31–32 None of these early appearances included credits or copyright notices. The Summy Company registered for copyright in 1935, crediting authors Preston Ware Orem and Mrs. R.R. Forman. In 1990, Warner Chappell purchased the company owning the copyright for $15 million, with the value of "Happy Birthday" estimated at $5 million.<5> Based on the 1935 copyright registration, Warner claims that the United States copyright will not expire until 2030, and that unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to it. In one specific instance on February 2010, these royalties were said<6> to amount to $700. In the European Union, the copyright of the song will expire on December 31, 2016.<7> The actual American copyright status of "Happy Birthday to You" began to draw more attention with the passage of the Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998.

Copyrights are now 120 years.

"Happy Birthday" earns AOL Time-Warner about $2 million annually.