Public Domain
Chained for Life
1952 · Classic Pictures · Dir. Harry L. Fraser
A Siamese twin kills the husband who left her. The courts have to decide if she is convicted of murder, how can they punish her sister, who had nothing to do with the crime?
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected. 'Chained for Life' was registered for copyright by Classic Pictures, Inc. on March 1, 1952, under registration number LP1585. This registration would have required a renewal filing between March 1979 and December 1980.
Searches of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress (copyrtight.gov) catalog of renewals from 1978 onward return no results for this title or registration number. Furthermore, the film is widely cited in public domain filmographies (such as those by David Pierce and Baer's Film Superlist) as having entered the public domain due to non-renewal. Because it is a US production, the URAA restoration provisions do not apply. The film is currently distributed by numerous public domain labels and is available for free download on the Internet Archive without restriction.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1950-1959
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- David Pierce, Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals, 1950-1959
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.