Back Pay

Back Pay was released in mid-1930 by First National Pictures (by then a subsidiary of Warner Bros.). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection. For a 1930 release, the renewal window would have been in 1957 or 1958. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this film. While the original 1921 silent version of 'Back Pay' (directed by Frank Borzage) also lapsed into the public domain, this 1930 sound version (directed by William A. Seiter) followed the same fate. Most First National titles from this era were renewed by Warner Bros., but 'Back Pay' is a documented omission. The film is widely listed in PD film databases and 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)' by Hurst/Baer, which confirms that the copyright was not renewed. Consequently, the work fell into the public domain in the United States in 1958.