When you gather a few friends in restaurant to celebrate a birthday, the server might take note of the celebration and arrange for the establishment to provide a small candle-lit dessert for the birthday-girl/boy.  It’s a thoughtful gesture.

 

The wait-staff might also serenade the party, standing beside your table screaming some raucous, utterly unintelligible birthday chant that sounds like a soccer-cheer/hip-hop mutation.  Which begs the question, “Why not just sing Happy Birthday?”

 

Two words: Copyright Infringement.

 

According to a CNNMoney article by Chris Isidore, “Warner/Chappell Music claims to own the copyright to the 120-year old, 16-word song that is widely credited with being the best known piece of music in the English language. That means anyone who performs the song publicly risks a $150,000 fine if they don't agree to pay a fee to the music group.”

 

We are not one to be overtly appreciative of lawyers, however . . . thanks to a lawsuit