Yes you did read it correct, and No it is not a joke… I heard about this a while ago, but shrugged it off as being nonsense. Well this evening  I found out the hard way that it is true.

This evening I was watching a serious program on the TV, and a small group of people were going to surprise a friend because it was his birthday.. of course the friend did not know the other people knew it was his birthday. But, the only person that got an (unpleasant) surprise was me, when suddenly the TV blurted out a 60 second long bleeeeeeep and a message saying they could not broadcast the singing of “Happy Birthday” because it was against Licensing Regulations.. WTF!!!!  this has gotta be a sick and perverted joke right?… Sorry, here is the deal

Did you know Happy Birthday is copyrighted and the copyright is currently owned and actively enforced by Time Warner?

Did you know that if you sing any copyrighted song:
…at a place open to the public
…or among a substantial number of people who are not family or friends
You are involved in a public performance of that work?

Did you know an unauthorized public performance is a form of copyright infringement?

Is Happy Birthday Really Copyrighted?

Yes.

The melody for Happy Birthday was first penned by two sisters from Kentucky, Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill. The song was called Good Morning to All, but bore the recognizable melody. The tune was first published in 1893 in the book Song Stories for the Kindergarten. The melody has since passed into the public domain, and is safe to hum in public without permission.

While it is not entirely clear who first wrote down the words for Happy Birthday, it showed up in a few places before Jessica Hill (another Hill sister) was able to demonstrate undeniable similarities between Good Morning to All and Happy Birthday and to secure the copyright to the song.

Working with the Clayton F. Summy Publishing Company, Jessica Hill published and copyrighted Happy Birthday in 1935. While the copyright should have expired in 1991, copyright has been extended repeatedly over the last quarter of the twentieth century and the copyright for Happy Birthday is now not due to expire until at least 2030.

The Clayton F. Summy Company is no longer independent, but, through a chain of purchases, the copyright for Happy Birthday To You lies securely in the hands of the Time Warner company. Happy Birthday’s copyright is licensed and enforced by ASCAP, and the simple little ditty brings in more than USD $2 million in annual royalties.

Is Singing Happy Birthday in Public Really Copyright Infringement?

Yes.

According to United States copyright law in United States Code, Title 17 §106, authors of works such as musical compositions have the exclusive right “to perform the copyrighted work publicly.” In United States Code, Title 17 §101, the law defines publicly performing a work as “to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered.”

This means that if you sing Happy Birthday to your family at home, you’re probably not committing copyright infringment. However, if you do it in an restaurant — and if the restaurant hasn’t already worked out a deal with ASCAP — you may be engaging in copyright infringement.

** the above was borrowed with all good intention from www.unhappybirthday.com

So, there you have it, next time you are at a birthday party, make sure you acquire the proper license before you sing Happy Birthday.

Dozens of public organizations in the U.K. have imposed bans on common words and phrases used by their workers and in their correspondence in an effort to be more politically correct. Rather than write a scathing opinion piece on how appallingly stupid we think it is to ban such phrases, and how overly sensitive governments and people have become, we’ll just list a few of those banned phrases with the reasoning behind why they were banned and let you decide for yourselves.

Whiter than white – A phrase used to describe someone who would never do something bad, has been banned because it is believed to be racial and infer that black is bad or criminal.

Black Day – Used to describe a time of disappointment or shame in a situation, has been dropped from publically funded agency language because it is believed to have racial undertones.

Ethnic Minority – Because in that context the word minority implies that ethnicity may be looked upon as small, unimportand or insignificant.

Gentleman’s Agreement – Because it can be construed as sexist and exclusive of women.

Black sheep of the family – Since it implies an outcast or an unappreciated person, and uses the word black in a negative way.

Master Bedroom – Because it implies subservience of women and dominance of males in relationships!

Politically Correct Terms For Males:

He does not have a beer gut; he develops a Liquid Grain Storage Facility.
He does not: Hog the blankets He is: Thermally unappreciative
He is not: Unsophisticated He is: Socially malformed
He does not: Eat like a pig He suffers from: Reverse bulimia
He is not: A sex machine He is: Romantically automated
He is not a: Male chauvinist pig He has: Swine empathy
He is not: Quiet He is a: Conversational minimalist
You do not: Undress him with your eyes You have a: Introspective pornographic moment
He is not: Afraid of commitment He is: Monogamously challenged
He does not have a: Fabulous rear end He has achieved: Buttocks perfection
He is not: Stupid He suffers from: Minimal cranial development
He does not: Get lost all the time He discovers: Alternative destinations
He is not: Balding He is in: Follicle regression
You do not: Buy him a drink You initiate an: Alcohol-For-Conversation exchange
He does not: Fart and belch He is: Gastronomically expressive
His jeans are not: Too tight He is: Anatomically under circulated
He is not a: Redneck He is a: Genetically-related American
You do not: Kiss him You become: Facially conjoined
He is not a: Cradle robber He prefers: Generationally differential relationships
He does not get: Falling down drunk He becomes: Accidentally horizontal
He does not: Act like a total jerk He develops a: Case of rectal-cranial inversion
He is not: Short He is: Anatomically compact
He does not have a: Rich daddy He is a: Recipient of Parental Asset Infusion
He does not: Constantly talk about cars He has a: Vehicular addiction
He does not have a: Hot body He is: Physically combustible

I’m sure we have all heard the saying ” The Good Old Days” or, how many times have you heard someone say ” When I was young” ? Well, believe it or not, there once was a time that we did not take EVERYTHING so personal… Yes I know it is something many people just can’t imagine, so here is a reminder of what was completely acceptable in “The Good Old Days”