Public Domain
City Limits
1934 · Monogram Pictures · Dir. William Nigh
The wealthy president of a big railroad, who's beginning to crumble under the combined pressure of business, personal and physical problems, meets up with a pair of hoboes from whom he starts to learn how to really enjoy life in ways he never knew were possible.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'City Limits,' starring Ray Walker and Sally Blane, was released by Monogram Pictures on April 16, 1934. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published before 1964 required a formal renewal with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected for a second term.
A search 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 production. As a 1934 release, the copyright would have needed to be renewed in 1961 or 1962. According to 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939),' this title entered the public domain due to non-renewal.
Because the mandatory renewal was not filed, the work's protection expired at the end of its initial 28-year term in 1962. It is currently widely distributed by public domain specialists and is legal to exhibit or distribute without a license.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939) by D. Richard Baer
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, Cumulative Series: Motion Pictures, 1912-1939
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.