• alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        Happy Birthday is that way too. Walt Disney didn’t invent it, people have been singing that song since before IP was a thing, but Disney owns the patent for it. IP is just so transparently bullshit.

        • ricecake
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          26
          ·
          10 months ago

          It’s actually in the public domain, and Disney never claimed copyright.

          The company that had been collecting copyright fees was found to have never held a valid copyright, and that any valid copyright would have long expired if anyone actually did have one which was unproven, and the company had to payback the money they collected.

          • brbposting
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            10 months ago

            Everyone working at restaurants clapped

            along to the original tune when it was verified legal to w/o payments!

        • Hawke@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          13
          ·
          10 months ago

          It’s not possible to patent a song.

          Disney never held the copyright.

          It’s been public domain since 2017 in Europe and since 2016 in the US and almost certainly long before.