Curse of the Swamp Creature

Curse of the Swamp Creature, directed by Larry Buchanan and produced for American International Television (AIP-TV), was released in 1966. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, US works published between 1964 and 1977 do not require renewal; however, they still required a valid copyright notice on the film print at the time of publication to secure federal protection. This film, along with several other Azalea Pictures productions (such as Zontar, The Thing from Venus), was notoriously released without a valid copyright notice in the credits. The film is widely documented as public domain in legal and filmographic reference texts, including the Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain. Its status is further evidenced by its inclusion in numerous 'budget' DVD collections from distributors like Alpha Video, Mill Creek, and Sinister Cinema, who specialize in public domain titles, as well as its long-standing presence on the Internet Archive without takedown notices. Because it entered the public domain due to lack of notice upon publication, it cannot be 'restored' under the URAA, which only applies to foreign works.