“Happy Birthday to You” is copyright protected through 2030. The rights are owned by Time Warner and it brings in around $2 million a year.
If you sing it in public without permission (which means paying Time Warner for the privilege), it’s a copyright violation.
I wonder if I could get a job as a copyright bounty hunter. You know, hang out at Chucky Cheese and similar places, and when the kids all sing “Happy Birthday” demand payment for Time Warner and then get a percentage.
I did know that, as a matter of fact. Did you know that the two sisters who wrote it were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky, and some of their royalty money still flows to a school right here in Derby City USA?
Think of that next time you sing “Happy Birthday” without paying a royalty: You’re screwing schoolchildren.