Public Domain
Autumn
1930 · Columbia Pictures · Dir. Ub Iwerks
The season series of Silly Symphonies continues, with squirrels storing nuts and corn, crows stealing it, beavers building a dam, ducks migrating, and the like, as the first snows fall.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Autumn' (1930) is a Disney-produced Silly Symphony short distributed by Columbia Pictures (and later by United Artists). 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.
Research of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) indicates that while 'Autumn' was registered upon release (Reg. No. LP1144; Feb 15, 1930), no renewal was filed in the 28th year (circa 1957-1958). Consequently, the film fell into the public domain upon the expiration of its initial term. This is a well-documented case among early Silly Symphony shorts, where several failed to have their copyrights properly maintained by the studio or distributor of record.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Motion Pictures)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) 1930, 1957, 1958
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939), Hurst/Baer
- The Disney Compendium: Silly Symphonies Copyright Status
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.