The Company That Owned the Rights to the “Happy Birthday” Song
For decades, one of the simplest songs in the world raked in millions. The cheerful tune we sing over cake and candles once had a powerful owner who made filmmakers, restaurants, and even TV networks pay to use it. It might sound like a joke, but the copyright behind “Happy Birthday to You” was one of the most profitable in music history, and its journey from classroom rhyme to corporate goldmine is wilder than most people realize.
A Song Born in a Classroom
It all started in 1893 when two Kentucky sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, composed a song called Good Morning to All. Patty was a kindergarten teacher, and the tune was meant to greet her students at the start of class. It spread through local schools, and somewhere along the way, the words changed. “Good morning” turned into “Happy Birthday,” and suddenly, the Hills had unintentionally created a universal anthem for celebration.
A Simple Tune Becomes Big Business
By the 1930s, the song’s popularity exploded. It appeared in Irving Berlin’s Broadway revue As Thousands Cheer, where it was sung at a fictional birthday party for John D. Rockefeller Sr. The performance sparked a legal mess. The Hill family sued the producer, arguing the song had been used without permission. After settling the dispute in 1935, they officially registered the copyright for the birthday version.
Warner’s $25 Million Birthday Present
Image via Wikimedia Commons/John
Decades later, the tune became a corporate treasure. In 1988, Warner/Chappell Music, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, acquired the rights for approximately $25 million. For the next 25 years, the company collected roughly $2 million annually in licensing fees. If you heard “Happy Birthday” in a movie or a TV episode, chances are Warner got paid. Studios were charged up to $1,500 per use, and even documentary filmmakers had to pay for those few seconds of singing.
The Court Case That Changed Everything
Image via Canva/annastills
The empire began to crumble in 2013 when two filmmakers challenged Warner’s claim. They were making a documentary about the song and balked at the hefty licensing fee. Their lawsuit exposed a crucial flaw: Warner didn’t actually own the lyrics. The Hill sisters had only granted rights to the melody and specific piano arrangements, not the words. In 2015, a federal judge ruled that the company’s copyright claim was invalid. After years of cashing in, Warner agreed to pay $14 million in settlements to those who had paid for a license since 1949.
That court decision cleared the song for release in the United States. Today, Happy Birthday to You belongs to everyone, with no royalties required. But copyright law remains tricky. Specific arrangements or recordings can still be protected, and outside the United States, rules vary by country. In some places, aspects of the song may still be subject to copyright due to varying term lengths.