Happy Birthday

9 Stories

One Billboard Outside Atlantic City, NJ, Goes Viral

Sons' birthday prank goes viral as father receives messages from all over the planet

(Newser) - Everybody likes being wished a happy birthday. Just perhaps not by over 15,000 people from around the world. That’s exactly what’s happened to Chris Ferry from New Jersey, after a birthday prank by his two sons went viral. Ferry, 61, is soon to be 62, and in...

Marilyn's 'Birthday' Dress Sells for 400 Times Its Original Cost

Ripley's scoops it up for $4.8M

(Newser) - It might be the most famous birthday serenade in history, and a new auction only underscores the point. The silk dress worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in 1962 has just sold for $4.8 million, reports CNN .

'Happy Birthday' Lawyers Score $4.6M in Fees

Judge awards money after copyright case

(Newser) - The lawyers who helped bring the song "Happy Birthday" into the public domain will be handsomely rewarded. A judge this week awarded the legal team $4.6 million after last year's successful copyright lawsuit , reports Courthouse News Service . The money will come out of a $14 million class-action...

Gladys Knight Sings During Traffic Stop

Her pal didn't get speeding ticket after singer belted out song to Utah cop

(Newser) - A Utah police officer who pulled over a car carrying iconic soul singer Gladys Knight was treated to an impromptu rendition of "Happy Birthday" Wednesday night. Knight was a passenger in the car stopped for speeding in the town about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Pleasant Grove...

'Happy Birthday' May Finally Belong to All

Warner Music agrees to pay $14M in proposed settlement

(Newser) - "Happy Birthday to You" will finally be in the public domain if a proposed settlement is approved. Warner Music has announced it won't fight a move to make rights to the song public and will spend $14 million to end a class-action lawsuit in search of royalties paid...

'Happy Birthday' Is Now Free
 'Happy Birthday' Is Now Free 
Sep 23, 2015 1:25 AM CDT

'Happy Birthday' Is Now Free

Judge rules that Warner never really had the copyright

(Newser) - You can now sing "Happy Birthday" anywhere you like without fear of copyright lawyers pouncing. A federal judge has ruled that Warner/Chappell, which has been making around $2 million a year from "Happy Birthday to You," doesn't have the rights to the song and never did,...

Filmmakers Sue: No, 'Happy Birthday' Isn't Copyrighted
 'Smoking Gun' Found in 
 'Happy Birthday' Lawsuit 
in case you missed it
Aug 1, 2015 7:56 AM CDT

'Smoking Gun' Found in 'Happy Birthday' Lawsuit

They're presenting evidence that song is in the public domain, not owned by Warner

(Newser) - In what the New York Times called the "lawsuit of the ages" when it was first filed two years ago, a new development is making the case even juicier with "smoking-gun evidence" that one of the world's most popular songs is in fact in the public domain,...

Suit: Let Us Sing 'Happy Birthday' for Free

Filmmaker wants to see song put in public domain

(Newser) - A New York filmmaker is on a mission: To make what's regarded as the world's most often performed song one that can be belted out free of charge. Filmmaker Jennifer Nelson and her company, Good Morning to You Productions, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the publishing branch...

President Surprises First Lady With Birthday Dinner

For Michelle's 46th, Barack lines up friends, family

(Newser) - Even after a year in the White House fishbowl, President Obama can still pull off a surprise—as he did last night, when he threw a private dinner for Michelle Obama's 46th birthday. The first lady, whose birthday is actually today, knew they were dining out, but not where or...

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