Owning the Celebration

For decades, if a movie character blew out the candles on a cake, they were forced to sing "e;For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"e; instead of the ubiquitous "e;Happy Birthday to You."e; The reason wasn't creative preference; it was fear of litigation. Until 2015, a major corporate entity claimed strict copyright ownership over the most recognized song in the English language, collecting millions of dol...