Public Domain
Captain Scarlett
1953 · Howard Greene Productions / United Artists · Dir. Thomas Carr
Captain Scarlett rescues Princess Maria from being abducted while travelling. She's not exactly grateful. He finds out that she is to be married to a man she doesn't like, so Captain Scarlet attempts to help her but winds up in prison for his efforts. He escapes and finally helps the reluctant bride who winds up joining Captain Scarlett and his sidekick and they become something along the lines of the three musketeers.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Captain Scarlett' was released in 1953 and was originally registered for copyright by Captain Scarlett Productions on March 18, 1953 (LP2393). Under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of the initial term to extend protection to a second term. For a 1953 release, the renewal window occurred in 1980 or 1981.
A thorough search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the U.S. Copyright Office online renewal records (covering 1978 onwards) shows no renewal filing for this title or registration number. This lack of renewal is further corroborated by Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950–1959) and David Pierce's 'Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals 1950-1959', both of which list 'Captain Scarlett' as a work that entered the public domain due to non-renewal. As a result of this failure to renew, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1982.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) - Motion Pictures 1950-1959
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (v. 3, 1950-1959)
- David Pierce, Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals 1950-1959 (Milestone, 1989)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.