Protected
Animal Crackers
1930 · Paramount Pictures · Dir. Victor Heerman
The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Animal Crackers, starring the Marx Brothers, was released by Paramount Pictures in 1930. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works from this era required a copyright renewal during their 28th year to maintain protection. The film was originally registered with the US Copyright Office on September 6, 1930, under registration number LP1552.
According to the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), the copyright was successfully renewed by Paramount Pictures on August 15, 1958, under renewal number R219534. Because this renewal was filed in a timely manner within the 28-year window (1957–1958), the copyright was extended for a second term. Under the 1976 Act and Subsequent extensions, the copyright for this work-for-hire was extended to a total of 95 years from the date of publication, meaning it will not expire until January 1, 2026.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (R219534)
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1950-1959
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Baer, 1992)
- IMDb: Animal Crackers (1930)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.