Protected
Evel Knievel
1971 · Fanfare Films · Dir. Marvin J. Chomsky
Biography of the famed motorcycle daredevil, much of which was filmed in his home town of Butte, Montana. The film depicts Knievel reflecting on major events in his life just before a big jump.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, works published in the United States between 1964 and 1977 enjoy automatic renewal of their copyright for a second 67-year term. For this era, a manual renewal filing with the Library of Congress was no longer a prerequisite for the work to remain protected; protection is secured by publication with a valid copyright notice.
'Evel Knievel' (1971) was a major American theatrical release starring George Hamilton. A search of the U.S. Copyright Office records confirms a primary registration (LP40161) was filed on August 10, 1971, by Fanfare Films. Because it falls within the 1964–1977 window, this registration was automatically renewed by law. The film remains under copyright protection in the United States and continues to be actively exploited by legitimate distributors, including recent releases by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Shout! Factory.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, Vol. 25, Part 12-13, Number 2, 1971.
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database (used to confirm 1971 publication date and record window).
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (ID 53930).
- Library of Congress Online Catalog (Registration Record LP0000040161).
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.