Public Domain
Apology for Murder
1945 · Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) · Dir. Sam Newfield
Head over heels in love with a stern and cold older businessman's young wife, a reporter is seduced into conspiring to murder him so she can inherit his estate, while pinning the murder on another businessman.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during their 28th year of protection to remain under copyright. 'Apology for Murder' was originally registered for copyright by PRC Pictures, Inc. on September 27, 1945, under registration number LP13627. To maintain protection, a renewal should have been filed between September 1972 and September 1973.
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 title. Like many films produced by the 'Poverty Row' studio PRC, the copyright was allowed to lapse into the public domain. This status is corroborated by the film's wide availability in public domain collections from distributors like Alpha Video and its presence on the Internet Archive for decades without takedown claims from any successor in interest.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939; 1940-1949
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no record found for LP13627)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Apology for Murder (1945)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.