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Why was the Happy Birthday Song censored on the tv show Operation Repo?

On an episode tonight of Operation Repo, they were singing the happy birthday song to one of the tow drivers or something, and a bar came up at the bottom of the tv screen saying we cannot air the happy birthday song due to some kind of licensing issues? They used a specific word for it, but I can't remember, but why is the happy birthday song copywritten? I thought this was the stupidest thing because you know they are still singing it when they bleeped the song so the viewers could not hear it. Why exactly couldn't the repo agents sing Happy Birthday on tv?

Public Comments

1. It's not public domain so TV show creators have to pay the owners of the song to use it. By blocking it they don't have to pay.
2. I don't know. I never knew someone had license issues with the song. I just thought it was a made up childrens song. Whoever it is must be really old because that song has been around forever. Its nothing new.
3. It's very surprising to learn that the song, a rip off of a 19th century song "Good Morning to you" is copyrighted but it's true. The songs ownership has changed much over the past 80 or so years. It is now owned AOL Time Warner, it makes the company about 2 million dollars a year.