• alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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        6 months ago

        Happy Birthday is that way too. Walt Disney didn’t invent it, people have been singing that song since before IP was a thing, but Disney owns the patent for it. IP is just so transparently bullshit.

        • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          It’s actually in the public domain, and Disney never claimed copyright.

          The company that had been collecting copyright fees was found to have never held a valid copyright, and that any valid copyright would have long expired if anyone actually did have one which was unproven, and the company had to payback the money they collected.

        • Hawke@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          It’s not possible to patent a song.

          Disney never held the copyright.

          It’s been public domain since 2017 in Europe and since 2016 in the US and almost certainly long before.