Shotgun Law
PUBLIC DOMAIN FYI
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Clipped Wings poster
Public Domain

Clipped Wings

1937 · National Film Corp. · Dir. Stuart Paton

Mickey Lofton, young half-brother of famed war-aviator Jerry, fails in his attempt to enter the Canadian Air Corps, because of his fear of thunderstorms developed by an incident in his boyhood days. Jerry, now a Captain in the U.S. Department of Justice, is given an assignment to capture some border oil smugglers. Through his friendship with Raoul McGuire, one of the suspects, Jerry is accepted as a member of the gang. Mickey is in love with Raoul's sister, Molly. Gang leader Moran shoots and wounds Raoul, and is himself shot down by Jerry. Mickey flies Molly and her wounded brother to a hospital. Jerry takes off in another plane to guard Mickey's craft from a pursuing airplane, and crashes his plane into the gangster's plane but parachutes to safety.

Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published in the United States between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal of copyright during the 28th year of their first term to remain protected. If a work was not renewed, it entered the public domain upon the expiration of that initial 28-year term. 'Clipped Wings' was released on July 1, 1937, and was registered for copyright by National Film Corp. (registration LP7361). A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and David Pierce's 'Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals 1950–1959' indicates that no renewal was filed for this title during the applicable renewal window (1964–1965). The film is also listed in the 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain' (Hurst/Baer) as a work for which copyright was not renewed. Because the copyright was not extended, the film entered the public domain in the United States in 1965.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
  • Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912–1939 (LP7361)
  • Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: 20,000 Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
  • AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.