
015 - Expression: Piece of Cake / The Happy Birthday Song
American English Podcast
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The Happy Birthday Song Is in the Public Domain
When Warner Chappell Music bought the Birch Tree group in 1988 for $25 million, they also acquired Samiko and all of the registered songs. At the time, the Happy Birthday song was valued at $5 million. In June 2016, a federal judge with the last name King decided that Sumi Co had rightfully owned the arrangements and the song melody. The lawsuit didn't go so well for Warner and Chappell. They needed to pay $14 million for the settlement.
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