Public Domain
Apache Rose
1947 · Republic Pictures · Dir. William Witney
Roy is an oil prospector. His efforts to get drilling rights on an old Spanish land grant are countered by gamblers from an off-shore gambling boat determined to control the land (and oil) themselves.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Apache Rose, starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, was released by Republic Pictures in 1947. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no record of a renewal for this specific title. While Republic Pictures was generally diligent in renewing its library, many individual entries—particularly B-westerns—slipped into the public domain through non-renewal. Additionally, this film is widely listed in the Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949) as a work that failed to renew. It is currently distributed by numerous public domain labels like Alpha Video and is available on the Internet Archive without copyright challenge.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949) by Hurst & Baer
- IMDb
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.