â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2017. Yeah, so, why did he like that subtweet of the Grinchâs tiny heart? Does he think anything Christmas-related, no matter how tangential, must be fought for at all costs? Would he have liked a picture of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause? What about a still from Die Hard?
If the Copyright Office has no confirmation that a composer or song-writer is still living and it has been 75 years since the first copyright protection order was granted, or 100 years since the recognized creation date of the piece, it becomes public domain.
Federal Judge Rules 'Happy Birthday' Is In The Public Domain. A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Happy Birthday should be in the public domain. Piano arrangements were copyrighted in 1935, but they apparently don't cover the lyrics. KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: And this story comes to us from the world of copyright.