Public Domain
Crimson Romance
1934 · Mascot Pictures · Dir. David Howard
After Fred von Bergen, a German immigrant in America, is forced from his job by anti-German hysteria before the first world war, he and his friend Bob Wilson leave America and join the German air force. There, both men fall in love with ambulance driver Alida Hoffman. When America enters the war, Bob is caught between loyalty to his home country and the threat of execution for desertion and treason to Germany. It remains for his friend Fred to extricate him from the dilemma - but at what cost?
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Crimson Romance (1934), directed by David Howard and produced by Nat Levine's Mascot Pictures, entered the public domain due to the failure of the copyright holder to renew the original registration. The film was originally registered for copyright on October 4, 1934, under registration number LP5006 by Mascot Pictures Corp.
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of the first term to extend protection to a second term. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) confirms that no renewal was filed for this title in 1961 or 1962. Consequently, the copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term in 1962.
The film's public domain status is further corroborated by its inclusion in the 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain' by D. Richard Baer and its widespread availability through public domain distributors and the Internet Archive without legal challenge from any successor to the defunct Mascot Pictures or its purchaser, Republic Pictures.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal found for LP5006)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1934, Motion Pictures, Vol 7 Part 1
- Hurst, Walter E. and D. Richard Baer. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1931-1940)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.