Protected
Born Yesterday
1950 · Columbia Pictures · Dir. George Cukor
Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Born Yesterday was released in 1950 and registered for copyright by Columbia Pictures Corp. on February 19, 1951 (LP702). Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works from 1950 required a renewal filing in their 28th year to maintain protection. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the U.S. Copyright Office records confirms that Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. successfully renewed the copyright on January 16, 1978 (RE-1-119). This renewal extended the protection for a second term, and under the 1976 and 1998 Acts, the film is protected for a total of 95 years from the original publication date. The film remains under active commercial exploitation by Sony Pictures (the successor to Columbia) and is widely available on major streaming and home video platforms.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Search: Born Yesterday)
- U.S. Copyright Office Online Catalog (Registration RE0000001119 / 1978-01-16)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949/1950-1959 editions)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Born Yesterday (1950)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.