In the wake of the recent $14 million settlement which placed the Happy Birthday song in the public domain, law suits were recently filed regarding the copyright status of Woody Guthie’s song, This Land is Your Land, and the civil rights anthem, We Shall Overcome. In addition to the issue of copyright royalties, these cases discuss who has the right to use and adapt the famous songs.

Sources: The New York Times Details of ‘Happy Birthday’ Copyright Settlement Revealed, The New York Times A Fight to Make ‘We Shall Overcome’ and ‘This Land Is Your Land’ Copyright Free

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