Warner/Chappell Loses Rights to ‘Happy Birthday’

Los Angeles Times: In a stunning reversal of decades of copyright claims, a federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Warner/Chappell Music does not hold a valid copyright claim to the “Happy Birthday To You” song. The song is estimated to bring in about $2 million a year in royalties. A judge ruled that a copyright filed by previous holder Summy Co. in 1935 granted only the rights to specific arrangements of the music, not the actual song. “‘Happy Birthday’ is finally free after 80 years.”