Public Domain
Cinder Alley
1934 · Majestic Pictures · Dir. Ben Harrison
Krazy Kat lives in a ramshackle house. He wakes up and takes an outdoor shower. Then he steals a wheel from a baby buggy and makes a soapbox racer with a lawnmower attached. He proceeds to damage some lawns. Krazy meets up with his girlfriend, who lives in a huge mansion.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Cinder Alley' was a Poverty Row production released in 1934 by Majestic Pictures. According to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the Copyright Office during the 28th year of the first term to extend protection for a second term. If no renewal was filed, the work entered the public domain at the end of the initial 28-year term.
Research of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no record of a renewal filing for this title or for its production company, Majestic Pictures, which became defunct shortly after the film's release. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894–1939) confirms that copyright was not renewed for this motion picture. Consequently, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1963.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Film Superlist: American Motion Pictures 1894-1939 (Baer/Hurst)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U. Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) Online Search
- IMDb: Cinder Alley (1934)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.