Name: A Yank in Libya
Director: Albert Herman
Released: 1942

A Yank in Libya

1942 · Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) · Dir. Albert Herman

American correspondent Mike Malone uncovers a Nazi plot for an uprising of the Arab tribes in Lybia. Pursued by Sheik David and his men, Mike takes refuge in the suite of Nancy Brooks, who is in the British Intelligence. He asks her to hide a gun and escapes through a window. Reporting the affair to British Consul Herbert Forbes, the latter tries to discourage him from further investigation, as the British are aware of the plot and are planning on staging a coup. He goes with Mike to Nancy's apartment, and she denies having ever seen him before. Sheik Ibrahim, next in command of the Arab tribe to Sheik David, is plotting with Nazi agent Yussof Streyer to kill David who is friendly with the British. Mike and Nancy have gone to David's camp, escape from Ibrahim's henchmen, and get back to El Moktar before the Arabs attack the garrison.

Confidence

Why this status applies

A Yank in Libya (1942) is in the public domain in the United States because its original copyright was not renewed. The film was originally registered for copyright on July 13, 1942, under registration number LP11456 by Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during their 28th year of protection to extend the term to 75 (later 95) years. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal record for this title or registration LP11456. Had the copyright been renewed, the filing should have occurred between July 13, 1969, and December 31, 1970. The failure to renew caused the copyright to expire and the work to enter the public domain in 1971. As a direct result of its public domain status, the film is widely available on archive.org and has been released by numerous budget-label home video distributors (such as Alpha Video) that specialize in public domain titles without any legal challenge from the original studio's successors.

Supporting facts

Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (accessed via search for 'A Yank in Libya')

Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1940-1949, page 104 (LP11456)

Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949), Hurst/Baer

Internet Archive (A Yank in Libya 1942 community uploads)