"Happy Birthday to You" is sung everywhere, but because it's copyrighted, it's rarely heard on TV or in movies. A filmmaker has filed a lawsuit seeking to make the song part of the public domain.

I no longer feel guilty about singing “Happy Birthday” without paying for its use. Since 1935, various companies have claimed copyright ownership over the traditional “Happy Birthday” song.

The “Happy Birthday” song is finally free to use after a landmark court ruling in the US that concluded it should be “dedicated to public use and in the public domain”.

Save this article to read it later. The rights to the song “Happy Birthday to You” have been the subject of 80 years of legal battles, but they’re coming to an end on March 14. On that day ...

“‘Happy Birthday’ is finally free after 80 years,” Randall Newman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told reporters following the ruling. “Finally, the charade is over. It’s unbelievable.” ...

It collects royalties for everything from happy birthday ring-tones to e-cards that play "Happy Birthday to You." The Girl Scouts once were warned they would have to pay a fee if campers sang it.