“祝你生日快乐”歌词竟然没有版权

　　歌曲“祝你生日快乐”中的歌词版权被美国法官裁决无效。这意味公众不再需要缴纳版权费。这支人人会唱的歌曲是由来自美国的希尔两姐妹( Mildred and Patty Hill )于 1893 年创作的。以下是 Anthony Birchley 的报道。

　　Happy Birthday To You is the most recognised song in the English language. The melody was composed by two sisters in Kentucky in 1893. Their song evolved into Happy Birthday and was first copyrighted by the Summy Company in 1935. Warner/Chappell bought the rights in 1988 and has been receiving around $2m in royalties a year ever since。

　　Two filmmakers planning a documentary about the song brought the legal challenge when Warner/Chappell demanded a fee for its use. They argued as the song was in the public domain, it shouldn't be subject to fees. A judge has now ruled that the Summy Company only ever acquired copyright to the melody, and not the lyrics, and as such, Warner/Chappell don't own the rights。

　　词汇表

　　recognised 被识别出的

　　royalties 版权费

　　documentary 纪录片

　　brought the legal challenge (就版权问题向法庭)提出法律疑问

　　in the public domain 属于公众所有，不受版权保护

　　melody 歌曲

　　lyrics 歌词