“Happy Birthday” May Be in the Public Domain, After All
You probably have sung “Happy Birthday [to You]” countless times. This post is about a company that has been collecting royalties from that song and the possibility that those royalties soon may stop.
In 1893, sisters Mildred Jane Hill and Patty Smith Hill published a collection of children’s songs. One of the songs – with the tune that we now know for “Happy Birthday to You” – was “Good Morning to All”.
Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
Good morning, dear children,
Good morning to all.
While no one knows for sure who wrote the “Happy Birthday” lyrics, their first known publication was in 1912. (more…)
Patent Licensing for Licensors: Know Your Industry
Over the past few years, several of my clients who had obtained patents wanted to license their rights to third parties. Only one client achieved patent licensing success.
The reason: The successful client was intimately familiar with the industry where his technology had its greatest value. He had worked in that industry for many years. He knew highly-placed executives in the most important companies. He was familiar with the companies’ product development plans.
