>Mike
>
>Are you sure Beethoven is copyright? I know Beatrice Potter came out of copyright recently, and Patents run for a defined time as well.
>
>I'd be astonished if singing "happy birthday" led to being sued.
>
>Regards
>
>JR
You will hardly be sued if singing this in private, but the song is indeed copyrighted. See
http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/birthday.htm.
The snopes site is one of the best-known sites for rumors, both true and false ones.
Hilmar.
Difference in opinions hath cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh; whether whistling be a vice or a virtue; whether it be better to kiss a post, or throw it into the fire... (from Gulliver's Travels)
