D.O.A. (Colorized Version)

The status of this specific work is determined by copyright law regarding 'derivative works.' The original black-and-white motion picture 'D.O.A.' (1950) entered the public domain in the United States in 1978 because its owner, Cardinal Pictures, failed to renew the copyright registration with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of its first term (1977-1978). This failure is documented in the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and Peerce's 'Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals'. However, the 'colorized version' mentioned by the user is a separate legal entity. Under 17 USC §103, new material added to a public domain work (such as colorization, new soundtracks, or restored editing) is eligible for its own copyright protection as a derivative work. Modern colorized versions of 'D.O.A.' have been produced by various companies (such as Legend Films and others) in the 2000s and 2010s. Because these colorization layers were created and published after 1989, they are automatically protected by copyright for 95 years from publication. While the underlying black-and-white cinematography and script remain in the public domain, the specific colorized frames requested by the user are protected property of the entity that performed the colorization.