Public Domain
Alibi
1929 · United Artists · Dir. Roland West
Chick Williams, a prohibition gangster, rejoins his mob soon after being released from prison. When a policeman is murdered during a robbery, he falls under suspicion. The gangster took Joan, a policeman's daughter, to the theater, sneaked out during the intermission to commit the crime, then used her to support his alibi. The detective squad employs its most sophisticated and barbaric techniques, including planting an undercover agent in the gang, to bring him to justice.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Alibi', directed by Roland West and released in 1929, entered the public domain due to the failure of the copyright holder to renew the registration after the initial 28-year term. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing between the 27th and 28th year of their copyright term to maintain protection.
While the film was originally registered for copyright by Feature Productions, Inc. on April 15, 1929 (LP273), 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. If it had been renewed, the filing would have occurred around 1956 or 1957. Because no renewal was filed, the copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term in 1957. The film's presence in numerous public domain DVD collections (such as those by Alpha Video) and its availability in the Library of Congress as a non-restricted work further confirm its public domain status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no record found for 1956-1958)
- Hurst/Baer Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- 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.