Singing a Success!

We did it!

At 12:15 this afternoon, well over 1,000 people gathered to sing Happy Birthday to Ben Franklin. The event was both a celebration of an American hero and an act of civil disobedience, since a public performance of Happy Birthday, which is still locked up under copyright by the TimeWarner company, constitutes copyright infringement. The event was also an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest public performance of Happy Birthday.

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.

But the real winner today was the fight for free culture: Every single person we spoke with agreed that it’s ludicrous that Happy Birthday is under copyright and thus illegal to sing in public. It was truly fantastic to see such a large group of people peacefully come together in defiance of the commodification of our culture.

Video and more pictures of the event will be posted later, I hope. For now, enjoy these shots of the festivities:

Thanks to all the members of F&M Free Culture for making this event happen, and to Franklin & Marshall College for supporting our efforts every step of the way. Photos courtesy of Marcy Dubroff.