The company collecting royalties to "Happy Birthday To You" does not hold a valid copyright to the song
The company collecting royalties to "Happy Birthday To You" does not hold a valid copyright to the song, a US federal judge has ruled. Warner/Chappell acquired the copyright - which was originally filed in 1935 - in 1988. But Judge George King ruled that the original copyright was only granted for specific arrangements of the music, not the song itself. Read more