Copyright and the World's Most Popular Song

Ever wonder why in TV Shows and movies they never sing “Happy Birthday to You” and instead sing some random lyrics to the tune of “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow?”

It’s because the “Happy Birthday to You,” the best-known and most frequently sung song in the world, is copyrighted material, earning the copyright holder an estimated $2 million dollars a year.

Professor Robert Brauneis or George Washington University does a detailed examination of the copyright, debunks myths about the song and concludes it should be in the public domain, posting over 200 documents from his research.

(via BoingBoing)