Did you know that the happy birthday song is protected by copyright? The publishing rights to the song, which brings in around $2 million a year, belong to AOL Time Warner. All those waiters in restaurants who sing “Happy Birthday” without paying royalties to AOL Time Warner are thieves.
“Happy Birthday” is one of many creative works that could move into the public domain if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Eric Eldred.
Month: January 2003
17th Century Blog
In a new twist, a blog is now channeling the writings of a 17th century diarist. Pepys’ Diary is a daily blog based on the diary of Samuel Pepys, who lived in London in the 17th century.
New Year
Happy New Year everyone.
I just got back from two days up at Hakuba resort, about an hour away from Nagano. Went boarding both days, and spent New Year’s Eve at a small house party in nearby Omachi. At midnight, we went to a small shrine in the woods, surrounded by huge, towering trees. As we approached on the snowy path, a huge bonfire glowed and flickered from within the forest, and the sounds of a shrine gong rang out. We were among several dozen people — children, parents, grandparents — who lit incense at the temple, drank proffered sake, accepted a mikan (mandarin orange) and then stood around the bonfire visiting. The colors of the shrine were bright, and the bonfire warm, creating a cozy enclave in the midst of the silent forest, white with snow and black with night.