Mar 29, 2014, 14:18 pm
Mar 29, 2014, 17:43 pm
You're not the only one who is confused. Bizarre as it may seem, the truth is that at this point in time nobody knows whether it is still copyrighted or not.
The current situation is that Warner/Chappell Music claims that it is still copyrighted, and threatens to sue anyone who uses it commercially. Rather than carry the cost of defending a lawsuit, and the risk of losing, everyone pays.
But a class action suit was filed last year, and is still working it's way through the courts, aimed at having the question answered (and, hopefully, it being declared to be in the public domain). If the lawsuit fails, it is likely that it will confirm the song will remain under copyright until 2030. [Unless it is extended somehow, or successfully challenged.]
See http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist...xplains-10
and http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/court-k...200703048/
The current situation is that Warner/Chappell Music claims that it is still copyrighted, and threatens to sue anyone who uses it commercially. Rather than carry the cost of defending a lawsuit, and the risk of losing, everyone pays.
But a class action suit was filed last year, and is still working it's way through the courts, aimed at having the question answered (and, hopefully, it being declared to be in the public domain). If the lawsuit fails, it is likely that it will confirm the song will remain under copyright until 2030. [Unless it is extended somehow, or successfully challenged.]
See http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist...xplains-10
and http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/court-k...200703048/
Mar 30, 2014, 10:19 am
Tsk..tsk.tsk..a hundred years and people haven't came up with a new ditty to sing on birthdays? I think they deserve all the litigation pain that the copyright pimps can put them through.
Mar 30, 2014, 11:29 am
Stephen Colbert said the song was 90 years old.
Mar 30, 2014, 16:21 pm
So?
He is neither God nor Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. His opinion means nothing.
He is neither God nor Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. His opinion means nothing.