Illegally singing "Happy Birthday"

The Free Culture club at Franklin & Marshall college arranged a massive act of civil disobedience yesterday in honor of Ben Franklin's birth. Over a thousand people sang "Happy Birthday," which is still under copyright, without paying a dime.

That's right: singing "Happy Birthday" in public, without paying, is illegal. And some people think we don't need copyright reform?

Here's what the group had to say:

I’m glad to report that all went through without a hitch. The group made “I Sang to Ben” buttons that were handed out to protestors/singers and flyers explaining the Founders’ views on the proper role of copyright and patent law were distributed throughout the day.

Read about it and see pix here; sorry I can't link to a story-specific anchor. If it's no longer the top post, look for the Jan 19 story, "Singing a Success."

Happy Birthday indeed.