Evil of Dracula

The film 'Evil of Dracula' (Chi o suu me), the third in Toho's 'Bloodthirsty' trilogy, was originally released in Japan in 1974. Although the user suggested 1998, this matches the 1974 title, and the 1998 date likely refers to a US home video re-release (such as the 1998 DVD from AnimEigo). As a foreign work from a Berne Convention signatory (Japan), its US copyright status is governed by the URAA (17 USC §104A). Under the URAA, works that were in the public domain in the US due to lack of compliance with formalities (like notice or renewal) but were still under copyright in their source country on January 1, 1996, had their US copyrights automatically restored. Japan's copyright term for cinematographic works is 70 years from publication (extended from 50 in 2004). In 1996, the film was only 22 years old and was clearly protected in Japan. Therefore, its US copyright was restored or maintained regardless of whether Toho complied with US notice or registration formalities in the 1970s. The film is currently actively managed and licensed, appearing in the 'The Bloodthirsty Trilogy' Blu-ray set released by Arrow Video in 2016, which confirms an active chain of title and enforcement by Toho Co., Ltd. Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.