African Jungle Hunt

Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection. For a film released in 1957, a renewal application would have been required between 1984 and 1985. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U. Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and the U.S. Copyright Office online records (which cover all renewals filed from 1978 onward) reveals no renewal registration for 'African Jungle Hunt'. The film was originally distributed by the American Releasing Corporation, which later became American International Pictures (AIP). While many AIP titles were renewed, this specific title was not. Additionally, the film is cited in 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1959)' by D. Richard Baer as a work for which the copyright was not renewed. Because the mandatory renewal was not filed, the work entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its initial 28-year term on January 1, 1986.