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Everyone sing Happy Birthday to Warner/Chappell Music!

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posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 01:44 PM
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Really, everyone should take a moment from their busy day and call their switchboard or front desk for a deep and heart felt rendition of 'Happy Birthday To You" ! Why, you may ask? Well.... We'd be breaking the law, as they see it. I'm just a rebel at heart and always have been. Aside from that, this is so wrong it's hard to know where to begin!


MANHATTAN (CN) - Warner/Chappell Music has "extracted millions of dollars in unlawful licensing fees" for the 120-year-old "Happy Birthday" song, which is in the public domain, Good Morning to You Productions claims in a federal class action.

There is no question that the song is in the public domain; the only question is how Warner/Chappell has bullied people into paying for it, Good Morning to You says in the complaint.


Can you say Corporate Greed run amok, boys and girls? I knew ya could...



The complaint states: "More than 120 years after the melody to which the simple lyrics of 'Happy Birthday to You' is set was first published, defendant Warner/Chappell boldly, but wrongfully and unlawfully, insists that it owns the copyright to 'Happy Birthday to You,' and with that copyright the exclusive right to authorize the song's reproduction, distribution, and public performances pursuant to federal copyright law. Defendant Warner/Chappell either has silenced those wishing to record or perform 'Happy Birthday to You' or has extracted millions of dollars in unlawful licensing fees from those unwilling or unable to challenge its ownership claims.

(Source: Courthouse News)
(emphasis added by me)

So, basically, we were all criminals at my kid's last Birthday Party at the local Pizza Place? It was a public establishment, after all. I can sadly admit, the little criminals all belted out their unlicensed version of the song with passion and total disregard for proper licensing fees. (gasp) How will I tell them all that they're now law breakers under US Civil Code for intellectual property?! Oh the humanity.......

File this under the drawer marked "Greed really CAN go too far for stupidity".



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 02:13 PM
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posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 02:27 PM
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Good article. The problem with these stories though, is reading too many of them desensitizes me to the imbecility of the world. Now I have to go and recalibrate my bull# meter.



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 02:31 PM
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The best revenge would be to form an Occupy Birthday movement where thousands upon thousands of people pitch tents in front of Warner's head office and sings "Happy Birthday" incessantly for 48 hours straight.

... and while they're doing that, using their cells phones to sing "Happy Birthday" into the CEO's voice mail.



Yes, I'm evil to the core.
edit on 15-6-2013 by CranialSponge because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 02:33 PM
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reply to post by FatherStacks
 


Here, try using this one while yours gets worked on. I found it on the net and it seems to be perfectly calibrated to current events.





posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 03:50 PM
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Here are the Traditional lyrics for the song:

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear (name)
Happy Birthday to You.

From good friends and true,
From old friends and new,
May good luck go with you,
And happiness too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is My Happy Birthday song for Warner/Chappell

1st verse

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy birthday Deer Warner/Chappell
And now you'll get screwed.

2nd verse

From Pirates to Thieves
Your no different from them
You steal all their money
and hurt the chil-dren

Screw You Warner/Chappell !!

(It was a quickie)



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 04:12 PM
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I'm suddenly reminded of all the people who keep saying: "If you're not doing anything illegal you have nothing to worry about!" And I'll bet every damn one of them has broken the law repeatedly.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but people who think they're doing nothing illegal are railroaded every day over some stupid thing no worse than this.

So to all those folks: Tell me again how you don't care if everything you do is being collected and recorded in a colossal central database....?



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 04:29 PM
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I remember hearing about how Warner apparently hold the copyright to the song Happy Birthday (or claim they do) in the documentary film The Corporation.

The segment of the film was muted and explained by the narrator because Warner had threatened to sue them if they used the song...



posted on Jun, 15 2013 @ 10:32 PM
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reply to post by Kram09
 


You know how utterly sad and pathetic that is? Someone can't even present a story about the song..WITH the song from over a century ago because even as a report, they'd get sued? Oh, everything is so absurdly upside down and senseless these days, it's a wonder society works as well as it does sometimes.

* I agree with you completely, not being critical of you but how utterly crazy it's all gotten.
edit on 15-6-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)




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