Algiers

Algiers was registered for US copyright by Walter Wanger Productions, Inc. on July 7, 1938, under registration number LP8135. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a formal renewal during the 28th year of the initial term to maintain protection. For Algiers, the renewal window opened in 1965 and closed in 1966. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this film. As a result, the copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term, and the film entered the public domain in the United States in 1966. Its inclusion in numerous public domain DVD collections and its widespread availability on sites like the Internet Archive without takedowns by the original studio confirm this status. While the original black-and-white film is in the public domain, the specific 'colorized' version mentioned by the user may have a separate, thin copyright on the colorization itself (if performed recently and registered as a derivative work). However, the underlying cinematography, performances, and script are no longer protected.