Public Domain
Babes At Sea
1934 · Educational Pictures / Fox Film Corp. · Dir. Sid Marcus
A toddler chases a frog out of his house to a nearby well where, falling into the bucket, he arrives at the bottom of the well, to be magically greeted by underwater seababies and various creatures, including the octopus law officer. Eventually he returns to the well bucket and is raised back up to be rescued by his mother.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their first copyright term to maintain protection. 'Babes At Sea', a two-reel comedy short directed by Charles Lamont and released by Educational Pictures (distributed by Fox Film Corp.) in 1934, was registered for copyright with the US Copyright Office under registration number LP5080 (October 23, 1934).
A thorough search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) published by the Library of Congress, and the 'Film Superlist' by David Pierce and Richard Baer indicates that no renewal was ever filed for this title. The copyright for the film would have needed to be renewed in 1961 or 1962 to extend into a second term. Because Educational Pictures ceased operations and their library became fragmented, many of their 1930s shorts fell into the public domain through non-renewal. Consequently, the film entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its initial 28-year term in 1962.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (accessed via search.library.vanderbilt.edu)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (Library of Congress)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939 (D. Richard Baer)
- The Educational Pictures Archive (Film Daily Year Book 1935)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.