You probably know that the ubiquitous, "Happy Birthday," created by Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill, is under copyright protection. However, it should have expired in 1991. The Copyright Act of 1976 extended it, and then the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 extended it again. At this point, "Happy Birthday" won't enter the public domain until 2030. In the meantime, you're allowed to sing it informally at small parties, but not in any public venue without paying licensing fees.
I'm no fan of the "Happy Birthday" song owned by AOL Time Warner. I like simple lyrics well enough, but I think the melody is all wrong. It's too easy to sing "Happy Birthday" out of tune. Let AOL Time Warner have their 2 million per year royalties in USD. I'm not going to bicker about copyright laws simply because they don't suit my specific purposes at certain times.*
I want to create a song that replaces "Happy Birthday." It won't bankrupt the copyright holders, but it'll make their claims obsolete. The new song will be sonorous, melodic, anything you like, as long as it sounds good and stays duty free. Then, I'll copyright it so that no one else can. Immediately afterward, I'll give it to the world for free. Anyone who tries to make money off the song gets sued and flogged.
I'm no fan of the "Happy Birthday" song owned by AOL Time Warner. I like simple lyrics well enough, but I think the melody is all wrong. It's too easy to sing "Happy Birthday" out of tune. Let AOL Time Warner have their 2 million per year royalties in USD. I'm not going to bicker about copyright laws simply because they don't suit my specific purposes at certain times.*
I want to create a song that replaces "Happy Birthday." It won't bankrupt the copyright holders, but it'll make their claims obsolete. The new song will be sonorous, melodic, anything you like, as long as it sounds good and stays duty free. Then, I'll copyright it so that no one else can. Immediately afterward, I'll give it to the world for free. Anyone who tries to make money off the song gets sued and flogged.
I don't have to create this song all by myself. You're welcome to send in ideas with the understanding that nobody makes money from the song. (I just know that Limpy99 won't be able to resist. I am crafty that way.)
*Hey, stay away from my iTunes folder.
