Public Domain
East of Borneo
1931 · Universal Pictures · Dir. George Melford
Mrs. Linda Randolph treks through darkened jungles to the land of Maradu to find her missing husband Allan, who'd left her years before when he believed she was in love with another. She finds Allan the drunken court physician to a devious prince-- Whose designs on the pair don't include a happy ending.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
East of Borneo was originally released by Universal Pictures on August 1, 1931, and registered for copyright on August 21, 1931, under registration number LP2429. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered in 1931 required a renewal filing between the 27th and 28th year of their first term to maintain protection for a second term (a total of 56 years).
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal record for this motion picture. The film should have been renewed in 1958 or 1959. Because Universal failed to file a renewal application within the statutory window, the film's US copyright expired and it entered the public domain on January 1, 1960. It is a well-documented public domain title, frequently cited for its use of extensive jungle stock footage that Joseph Cornell later repurposed for his experimental film 'Rose Hobart' (1936).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal found for LP2429)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (Library of Congress)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1928-1939), Hurst/Baer
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.