Copyright protection isn’t forever. Every January 1, copyrights on old songs, movies, books, cartoon characters, and more officially expire, meaning that they can be used royalty-free by anyone from here
Read MoreOne of the big entertainment stories of 2024 has been an early version of Mickey Mouse finally going into the public domain. This means the Steamboat Willy-style Mickey is no
Read MorePuck monkeys. I like it. Then there’s music news for January 12, 2022. Music recorded before 1923 is now in the public domain. That means we can now use them
Read MoreThere comes a point when a musical composition becomes available for anyone to use without permission or licensing. The magical year now for most territories around the world is 1924.
Read MoreTurns out, “Happy Birthday” might not be the only iconic song that belongs to the public. When a song or any other work is said to be in the public
Read MoreIt was on this day in 1985 that the original Live Aid was staged. And now, some current music news. Hey! Do NOT go rogue and mess with “O Canada,”
Read MoreIn what had to be the weird musical copyright case ever, “Happy Birthday”–a song written in the late 1800s–has finally been declared public domain. That means (a) anyone can perform
Read MoreYou may remember a story from last month about a court decision that finally declared “Happy Birthday to You” to be in the public domain. (The back story can be
Read MoreMore than a hundred years ago, a couple of sister schoolteachers, Patty Smith Hill and Mildred Hill, wrote a birthday wishes song based on a traditional melody entitled “Good Morning
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