The song has a complicated history reaching back to the 1893 publication of Good Morning to All, a children's song written by a Kentucky woman named Mildred Hill and her sister Patty. The case garnered attention from around the world not only because the tune is so commonly performed, but because many people were not aware it was still under copyright, let alone purportedly owned by a major corporation. "While we respectfully disagreed with the court's decision, we are pleased to have now resolved this matter," Warner/Chappell said in a statement.Īn attorney for the artists could not immediately be reached. In September, chief US district judge George King in Los Angeles ruled that Warner/Chappell, the music publishing arm of privately owned Warner Music Group, did not own a copyright to the Happy Birthday lyrics.
#AUSTRALIAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG FREE#
That means it will be free for all to use without fear of a lawsuit. Once the settlement is finalised, the song will be in the public domain, the source said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in court papers announcing the settlement, but it puts an end to the class action lawsuit filed in 2013 by a group of artists and filmmakers who sought a return of the millions of dollars in fees the company had collected over the years for use of the song. A settlement has been reached in a US lawsuit with Warner/Chappell Music over the copyright to Happy Birthday to You, that will put one of the world's most recognisable songs in the public domain, according to court papers and a source close to the case.
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