Seeking to prove that no copyright on “Happy Birthday” – El Universal (Venezuela)

  THE UNIVERSAL
 

Tuesday July 28, 2015 3:04 PM

WASHINGTON The plaintiffs who started two years ago a lawsuit to try to prove that the song” Happy Birthday to You “(Happy Birthday) is not subject to rights Author just presented a document that could lead to the famous tune into the public and free to use.

Several specialized media as The Hollywood Reporter lawyers gathered today for the plaintiffs, which include the filmmaker Jennifer Nelson, presented new evidence Monday before a district court in California.

Nelson filed in 2013 a lawsuit against Warner / Chappell, a division of Warner Music, after the record would ask $ 1,500 per term intellectual property of “Happy Birthday to You”, to use in a documentary about the famous birthday song.

The familiar melody was taken from the song of the late nineteenth century “Good Morning to All” by sisters Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith.

The music giant Warner bought the small company that owned the rights to “Good Morning All”, Birchtree Ltd, and collects about two million dollars a year on account intellectual property for the use of the famous song.

The evidence presented by the plaintiffs is now a songbook published in 1927 containing the letter “Happy Birthday” without notice and copyright which predates the registration of copyright of the tune, which was held in 1935.

Therefore believe that the song was common knowledge long before it was registered and claim to be again.