Protected
Citizen Kane
1941 · RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. · Dir. Orson Welles
Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Citizen Kane was originally registered for copyright by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. on May 1, 1941, under registration number LP10457. Because it was released between 1928 and 1963, US copyright law required a manual renewal during the 28th year of the original term to maintain protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress CCE (Catalog of Copyright Entries) confirms that the copyright was successfully renewed by RKO General, Inc. on February 13, 1969, under renewal number R455823. Under the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, the term for works in their renewal period at that time was extended to 95 years from the date of original publication.
Consequently, the film will not enter the public domain in the United States until January 1, 2037. The rights are currently held by Warner Bros. (via its acquisition of the Turner Entertainment library, which included RKO films).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912–1939 and 1940–1949
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database (R455823)
- Hurst, D. Richard, 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939' (cross-referenced for RKO renewals)
- Library of Congress Motion Picture Copyright Descriptions Collection
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.