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From the article: > Royalties on the song bring in about $2 million a year for Warner, according to some estimates. If they're getting $2 million a year for i

• jheriko 11y ago
  that is a good point. i was thinking more that very many people learn and hear the song without ever learning that it is copyrighted... i'd expect big legal teams for big companies to at least do their job well some of the time... despite my experiences with this. this is where i'd expect the money comes from... people proactively being very careful to not get into trouble. i think the vast majority of hypothetical cases claiming copyright infringement would struggle though. many small time birthday party entertainers certainly make money from the song, but it would be utterly unreasonable to pursue that money given the cultural phenomenon that it has become... i'd expect any decent judge to throw such a case out rather than mindlessly doing his job to the letter of the law.
  • mark-r 11y ago
    This is exactly what gives IP law its power. The judge has no choice, and as the defendant you need to make the choice of paying for the lawsuit or paying for the license. The license is always cheaper.