Public Domain
Captain Scarface
1953 · Lincoln Productions · Dir. Paul Guilfoyle
A group of communist spies plan to blow up an essential commercial artery, the Panama Canal. To this end, they have kidnapped a nuclear scientist and are traveling by steamship to the coast of South America. Luckily for western civilization, the hard-nosed ship's captain, played by Barton MacLane, has other ideas.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Captain Scarface' was released in 1953 and was originally registered for US copyright by Lincoln Productions (LP3012, Oct 8, 1953). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a formal renewal during the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection. If not renewed, the work entered the public domain.
Research of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal record for this title. For a 1953 registration, the renewal window would have been in 1980 or 1981. The absence of a renewal filing is confirmed by its inclusion in 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain' by David Pierce and D. Richard Baer, as well as its widespread availability through public domain distributors such as Alpha Video and Sinister Cinema.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) online
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950-1959) by David Pierce
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.