tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post2497874784177011095..comments2023-11-24T03:20:02.361-07:00Comments on Tufte's Economics Classes Blog - A Living Textbook: Pay to sing Happy BirthdayDr. Tuftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397586052171706438noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-2829868291900212552008-05-07T12:25:00.000-06:002008-05-07T12:25:00.000-06:00My guess is that they are making money off of nove...My guess is that they are making money off of novelty makers who include the song in cards or stuffed animals, or put it on coffee cups.Dr. Tuftehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397586052171706438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-62815269079069391562008-04-14T00:05:00.000-06:002008-04-14T00:05:00.000-06:00Dr. Tufte,I think that it is interesting to hear t...Dr. Tufte,<BR/>I think that it is interesting to hear that the "Happy Birthday" song has a copyright. I never knew this before. <BR/><BR/>As you mentioned if it was enforced and if people knew about it then they would obviously make a fortune from it. People and companies sing it so many times without ever being notified or charged. I wonder if any company has ever paid the fee. It would be Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09091219498842177845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-52747428864102386292007-04-27T15:29:00.000-06:002007-04-27T15:29:00.000-06:00I think Patrick has kind of missed the scale here....I think Patrick has kind of missed the scale here.<BR/><BR/>The value of a copyright on Happy Birthday would be tremendous, if it was widely enforceable. Apparently it isn't. But it must be somewhat enforceable: probably from card companies.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, the entire Beatles catalog is valued at 10-20 times this amount, so it seems that $15M is pretty good for a single song.Dr. Tuftehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397586052171706438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-65948194895313902972007-03-26T09:39:00.000-06:002007-03-26T09:39:00.000-06:00What good is a copyright if nobody knows about it?...What good is a copyright if nobody knows about it? Why spend $15 million for a copyright when very few people even know it exists? And my guess is that very few, if anyone, every actually paid royalty fees for singing the song. The purpose of a copyright is to give yourself a competitive advantage for a period of time by sustaining a unique asset. However, how has Summy Company or Warner ChappellPatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15537514981181573945noreply@blogger.com