Free Happy Birthday Song

The traditional "Happy Birthday" song is actually copyrighted, owned by Time-Warner, and they consider singing it on this site to be a "public performance" that requires paying a royalty.

And so, I offer my all-new copyright-free Happy Birthday song. Have fun with it; it's my gift to the world.

More info and resources...

Unhappy Birthday:
http://unhappybirthday.com/

Happy Birthday Screw You (Kembrew McLeod):
http://www.boycott-riaa.com/article/15999

Snopes Urban Legend Reference Page:
http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/birthday.asp

On the advice of council, I hereby give this song to the public domain. Good luck with it.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• happy
• birthday
• unhappy
• screw
• you
• time-warner
• kenrg
• copyright

[runawayspacedog]

Funny video. It may be the only appropriate response to our ridiculously litigious culture. Screw them all.

[kenrg]

Yep, screw 'em all (but start with Time Warner)! Thanks.

[jojo808]

have they ever used their power and actually fined an individual for singing it in pubic yet?

[kenrg]

No, only "public performances." But, with the way the major entertainment companies have been filing DMCA notices against individuals on YouTube (they consider YouTube to be public performances) it could happen!

[puffyjo]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!

[kenrg]

Thanks!

[glolady]

another symbol of Corporate Greed.. right there with you!

[twilightxd]

Cut the Crap and SING!!! >:O

[Chrisandthemike]

Thank you for this.

[arrowhead5543]

2:35 to skip to the song

[scooterinnc84]

worker. You are still making money on the job to sing it, but yet you don't have to pay time warner since it's not televisied.

[scooterinnc84]

I was watching Operation Repo on Tru Tv the other day, and they were about to sing the happy birthday song to one of their tow truck drivers, but they put the bar at the bottom of the tv screen, which read due to such and such licensing agreements, we are sorry but we can't air the happ birthday song. I mean it's ridiculous. You know their singing it behind the bleeping and the censorship. The same concept would be if you are singing happy birthday at work to your co

[dgpsf]

Interestingly, Time Warner no longer holds any interest in the Warner Music Group, which is who owns the copyright. Despite the name. So TW has no connection to "Happy Birthday To You" anymore.

See the wikipedia page for "Warner Music Group."

[SmokingEssy7887]

The tricky part for time-warner would be finding the videos with their song (happy birthday) since you aren't using any music or audio they can't rely on file data/codes to find it, and if you just labeled the video something besides happy birthday I'd say it would be very hard for time warner to enforce it, does anyone agree with me?

[DesserTray5]

What on earth are you babbling on about? ... haha

[SmokingEssy7887]

Isn't using the happy birthday song on youtube fair use?

Evan

[BobbyRossRacing93]

I'm just finding thid out because my friend upploaded a vid of her disters 16th birthday and it got muted and he does not know why, now I know WTF

[Queenpriderock]

Im gonna use it in my friends Bday vid, Except that last part about time-Warner.