Public Domain
70,000 Witnesses
1932 · Paramount Publix Corp. · Dir. Ralph Murphy
College football player is asked to dope a star teammate by his crooked gambler brother. He refuses, but they player is doped anyway and collapses and dies. A detective has the whole game re-enacted to find important clues.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected. '70,000 Witnesses' was originally registered for copyright by Paramount Publix Corp. on September 9, 1932 (Registration LP3235).
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this title. For a 1932 release, the renewal window occurred in 1959–1960. While many Paramount films of this era were renewed by EMKA, Ltd. (a subsidiary of MCA/Universal), this specific title was omitted from the renewal filings. This is corroborated by its inclusion in 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain' by Hurst and Baer, which confirms the lack of a valid renewal. Consequently, the film entered the public domain in the United States in 1960.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (covering 1923–1963 registrations)
- Hurst, Walter E., & Baer, D. Richard. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (LP3235)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: 70,000 Witnesses (1932)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.