Chicago Deadline

Chicago Deadline (1949), a film noir starring Alan Ladd, is currently protected by US copyright. The film was originally registered for copyright by Paramount Pictures on August 22, 1949, under registration number LP2553. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works from this era required a renewal in their 28th year to extend protection to the full 95-year term. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries confirms that Paramount Pictures filed a valid renewal for this motion picture. The renewal was registered on September 22, 1976, under renewal number R642436. Because this renewal was successfully filed, the film's copyright was extended and remains in effect today. The copyright will not expire until 95 years after its publication date, meaning it is scheduled to enter the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2045. The film is currently under the active control of Universal Pictures (which acquired the pre-1950 Paramount library).