Public Domain
Africa Speaks!
1930 · Colorado African Expedition / Columbia Pictures · Dir. Walter Futter
Explorer Paul Hoefler leads a safari into central Africa and what was then called the Belgian Congo, in the regions inhabited by the Wassara and the famous Ubangi tribes.
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. 'Africa Speaks!' was originally registered for copyright by the Colorado African Expedition on September 15, 1930 (Registration Number LP1570).
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) indicates that no renewal was filed in the 28th year (which would have been 1957 or 1958). The film has been widely cited as being in the public domain in various film historical databases and is frequently distributed by public domain specialty labels such as Alpha Video. Because the initial copyright term expired without renewal, the work fell into the US public domain in 1958.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1921-1930)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.