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You Are Free to Sing ‘Happy Birthday’ – Warner’s Copyright Claim Rejected

  'Happy Birthday' song is considered to be the most sung song in the world. The song is not only rendered on birthdays, but also captured in various forms such as sound recordings, videos, etc. A search on YouTube with the phrase, 'Happy Birthday', yields About 3,770,000 results, indicating its popularity. The 'Happy Birthday' song includes two elements, lyrics and musical composition. Simply put, it includes the words and the tune.     Warner/Chappell Music was claiming copyright ownership of the lyrics, and…

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Featured image is of jazz artist Billie Holiday as she sang the most famous version of "These Foolish Things", the song on which the post is based. To read the post click here

Copyright Dispute between Music Publishers

  American music publisher, Bourne Co., co-founded in 1919 by songwriter Irving Berlin, has initiated a copyright dispute lawsuit before the New York Supreme County Court against the UK-based Booey & Co. Ltd. alleging conspiracy to deprive Bourne Co. of its share of rights in the highly popular song ‘These Foolish Things’ written by Eric Maschwitz and  Jack Strachey. Released in 1936, renditions of the song were recorded by various artists including Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald as well as…

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