Perhaps the most absurd tale of copyright infringement has finally been put behind us. Thought by many to be a practical joke, the all-too-ubiquitous "Happy Birthday Song" (assumed to be public domain by most) has, in fact been protected under law, making pretty much all of us law-breakers -- that is, until recently. The rights holder, Warner/Chappell (a division of Warner Music Group), has been collecting up to an estimated $2 million a-year in royalties from "Happy Birthday Song" media appearances.
