Bad Boy

The film 'Bad Boy' (1939), directed by Herbert Meyer and starring Johnny Downs, entered the public domain in the United States because its copyright was not renewed as required by the Copyright Act of 1909. The film was originally registered for copyright on August 31, 1939, by Gateway Productions under registration number LP9080. Under the law governing works published before 1964, a copyright owner was required to file a renewal application with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of the first term to extend protection for a second term. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal record for this title or registration number. Because the renewal was not filed in 1966 or 1967, the copyright expired at the end of its 28th year, placing the work in the public domain. This film is distinct from the 1935 film of the same name and the 1949 film 'Bad Boy' starring Audie Murphy.