Public Domain
High Gear
1933 · Goldsmith Productions · Dir. Leigh Jason
When Mark 'High Gear' Sherrod looses his nerve, the race car driver takes a job driving a taxi, but when he befriends a cute reporter and the young handicapped son of a deceased driver, he attempts to return to the track.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published in the United States between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected. 'High Gear', an independent production directed by Leigh Jason and released in 1933, was originally registered for copyright on April 15, 1933, under registration number LP3825 by Goldsmith Productions.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this film. The copyright would have needed to be renewed in 1960 or 1961 to extend its protection. As no renewal was filed, the film's copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term, and it entered the public domain in the United States. This is consistent with its inclusion in various public domain film catalogs and its availability on the Internet Archive without restriction.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (LP3825)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1931-1940)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.