Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

The film was released in 1972, a period where US copyright law required a valid copyright notice on the film print to secure protection. As a 1972 work, it falls under the mandatory notice requirement of the 1909 Act (and the 1992 Automatic Renewal Act), but it remains in the public domain because the original theatrical prints and early promotional materials lacked a proper copyright notice. Specifically, the original credits failed to include the word 'Copyright', the symbol ©, or the year and name of the claimant required by 17 U.S.C. § 19. While the film was registered for copyright in 1974 (LP43527), this registration occurred two years after the film's publication without notice. Under the law at the time, publication without notice generally resulted in an immediate and irreversible loss of copyright, casting the work into the public domain. The film is widely recognized in the industry and by legal scholars as being in the public domain due to this specific notice defect. It has been extensively distributed by 'grey market' and public domain labels like Alpha Video, Mill Creek, and VCI for decades without successful legal challenge from the original production company. Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.