Public Domain
Comicalamities
1928 · Pat Sullivan Studios · Dir. Otto Messmer
Comicalamities' starts with a hand drawing an incomplete Felix the cat. Felix is not satisfied with the result so he goes to a man who can fix him (finish his body and give him his black color).
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current U.S. copyright laws (specifically the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998), all works published or registered in the United States before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain as of January 1, 2024.
'Comicalamities' is a Felix the Cat animated short directed by Otto Messmer and produced by Pat Sullivan Studios. It was originally released in the United States on April 1, 1928. Because the film was published during the year 1928, its maximum 95-year term of copyright protection expired on December 31, 2023. As of January 1, 2024, the film is legally in the public domain in the United States regardless of whether its copyright was previously renewed.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf
- https://archive.org/details/Comicalamities1928
- https://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/3371-Comicalamities
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.