Public Domain
A Bucket of Blood
1959 · Alta Vista Productions / American International Pictures (AIP) · Dir. Roger Corman
Nerdy Walter Paisley, a maladroit busboy at a beatnik café who doesn't fit in with the cool scene around him, attempts to woo his beautiful co-worker, Carla, by making a bust of her. When his klutziness results in the death of his landlady's cat, he panics and hides its body under a layer of plaster. But when Carla and her friends enthuse over the resulting artwork, Walter decides to create some bigger and more elaborate pieces using the same artistic process.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
A Bucket of Blood was released in 1959. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected. While the film was originally registered (LP15291, registered October 28, 1959, by Alta Vista Productions), no renewal record exists in the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database or the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE).
Because the copyright was not renewed in 1986 or 1987, the film entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its first 28-year term. The film's public domain status is widely recognized in the film industry and legal literature; it is frequently cited alongside other Roger Corman/AIP titles from the same era, such as 'The Little Shop of Horrors' (1960), which similarly fell into the public domain due to non-renewal. The film is currently available through numerous public domain distributors and is legally hosted on the Internet Archive for public viewing.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal found for LP15291)
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950-1959)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips (U.S. Copyright Office)
- IMDb: A Bucket of Blood (1959) Trivia and Licensing
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.