After decades of battles in the courts, the US court in Los Angeles ruled that Warner / Chappell Music is no longer the official version of the owner of copyright in English “Happy Birthday” (Happy Birthday to You). The information was published in the Los Angeles Times newspaper’s website.
For years Warner battled in court for music, which had acquired the rights for 15 million dollars from Birch Tree Group, successor to Clayton F. Summy Co. that had the original rights. According to newspaper estimates, Warner earns annually about 2 million dollars just to music.
Judge George H. King ruled that Summy Co. acquired in 1935 only entitled to some arrangements music, not the current version. “Happy Birthday is finally free after 80 years,” said Randall Newman, a lawyer who defends a group of banned filmmakers to use music in a documentary on the composition.
So far, Warner could charge for any person to sing, touched or used the lyrics. Most of these charges occurred in theaters, television shows, movies or greeting cards. But according to the newspaper, even those who sing the music in a restaurant, technically would have to pay royalties
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