Protected
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
1966 · Hammer Film Productions / Seven Arts / 20th Century Fox · Dir. Terence Fisher
Whilst vacationing in the Carpathian Mountain, two couples stumble across the remains of Count Dracula's castle. The Count's trusted servant kills one of the men, suspending the body over the Count's ashes so that the blood drips from the corpse and saturates the blackened remains. The ritual is completed, the Count revived and his attentions focus on the dead man's wife who is to become his partner; devoted to an existence of depravity and evil.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Dracula: Prince of Darkness' (the only major 'Prince of Darkness' release in the mid-1960s) was a British production by Hammer Film Productions, distributed in the United States by 20th Century Fox in early 1966. Under the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, works published between 1964 and 1977 are granted automatic renewal in the United States, meaning they do not require a renewal filing at the 28-year mark to remain protected. For a foreign work of this era, US copyright status is further secured by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), which restored US copyright to foreign works that were still protected in their source country on January 1, 1996.
Searching the US Copyright Office records (CCE) and the online catalog reveals that the film was formally registered in the US by Hammer Film Productions, Ltd. on January 12, 1966, under registration number LP32098. Unlike many films from the 1950s that fell into the public domain due to non-renewal, films from 1964 onward enjoy a 95-year term from publication. The film is currently under active commercial control and was recently licensed for high-definition restoration and distribution by Shout! Factory (Scream Factory), further confirming its protected status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, 1966, Registration LP32098
- U.S. Copyright Office Online Database (cocatalog.loc.gov)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Dracula: Prince of Darkness, 1966)
- British Film Institute (BFI) Film & TV Database
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.