Public Domain
Atlantic Flight
1937 · Monogram Pictures · Dir. William Nigh
Famous pioneer aviator Dick Merrill was front-page news in the 1930s, so it's understandable that he was summoned to Hollywood to star in his own film. In "Atlantic Flight" he's top-billed as a pilot who undertakes a dangerous mission to transport medicine to an ailing friend. Monogram.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Atlantic Flight (1937), starring Dick Merrill and Paula Stone, was originally registered for copyright by Monogram Pictures Corp. on August 19, 1937, under registration number LP7372. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing with the U.S. Copyright Office during their 28th year of protection to extend copyright into a second term.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) for the years 1964 and 1965 (the relevant renewal window) reveals no renewal filing for this title or registration number. Furthermore, the film is listed as public domain in 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)' by D. Richard Baer. Consequently, the copyright expired after its initial 28-year term, and the film entered the public domain in the United States in 1965.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) 1937, Volume 11 (Motion Pictures)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939) by D. Richard Baer
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.