Judge blows out candles on Happy Birthday lyrics copyright

The music publishing company that has been collecting royalties on the song Happy Birthday To You for years does not hold a valid copyright on the lyrics to the tune that is one of the mostly widely sung in the world, a US judge has ruled.

District Judge George King determined the song’s original copyright, obtained by the Clayton F Summy Company from the song’s writers, covered only the tune’s musical arrangement and not the lyrics.