Music publisher agrees to pay $14m to end Happy Birthday song lawsuit
Source: The Guardian
Music publisher agrees to pay $14m to end Happy Birthday song lawsuit
Jana Kasperkevic in New York
Tuesday 9 February 2016 17.52 GMT
The world could be free to sing Happy Birthday without being sued by as early as next month.
In a settlement filed with courts on Monday, music publisher Warner/Chappell agreed to pay $14m to end the lawsuit challenging its right to Happy Birthday To You possibly the worlds most famous song.
The tune has a long contentious history stretching back to the late 19th century. Warner/Chappell bought the rights for $22m in 1988 and has since made an estimated $2m a year licensing the song for movies and TV.
But back in September, US district judge George H King ruled that Warner/Chappell did not own the lyrics to the song, just some of its musical arrangements. Next month, King will get to approve the settlement filed on Monday, making the song available to the public.
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http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/09/happy-birthday-song-lawsuit-warner-chappell-settlement