Improvisation on Happy Birthday

Originally Posted by ArcticWind7

You are aware this is illegal in the US and Europe (etc.)?

Haha! I think AW refers to the fact that "Happy Birthday" is under copyright. But I'm not sure if this applies to the tune alone.

At any rate, the prospect of Federal Agents bashing your door down and seizing your computer is about as likely as Susie's first birthday party being similarly invaded...

Now, if you wanted to publish your improv in written form, that might require some looking into.

Originally Posted by ArcticWind7

You are aware this is illegal in the US and Europe (etc.)?

Whatever you're talking about, I don't think it matters. Nigel isn't from the U.S. or Europe.

I'm not sure where Nigel is from but if he is from a country with 70+ it is illegal. While the lyrics are PD (only this year though), the music is (c) until 2016.

But I'm not sure if this applies to the tune alone.

While Good Morning to All is out of copyright, the slight variation in Happy Birthday means it is a new copyright. Referencing the name Happy Birthday especially means that you were using the happy birthday tune, and not the Good Morning to All tune. So it does apply to any country with 70+ or more, with the exception of places like Australia and Russia where it wasn;t made retroactive.

Ahh.. Sue me then
Can't a composer improvise on anything he wants without being tracked down by the authorities? Geez...