The most common song you can't sing in public

• 15 September 2015
• From the section Magazine   BBC News

Image copyright University of Louisville

Image caption A portion of a music manuscript for Happy Birthday's predecessor - "Good Morning to All"

Happy Birthday To You is a staple of birthday parties around the world - but it can't be sung on TV or in movies and other public performances without paying a hefty sum. That might change soon, says journalist Natalie Villacorta.

The music to Happy Birthday To You was written in the late 19th Century by two sisters who called their version Good Morning To All. That song later evolved into the version popular today and was copyrighted by the sisters' publisher. The publisher and the rights to the song were eventually purchased by Warner/Chappell for $25m (£16m) in the 1980s.

But now a group of artists is challenging Warner/Chappell's claim to the copyright
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