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Indian Superman poster
Uncertain

Indian Superman

1987 · Manas Pictures · Dir. B. Gupta

In this Indian take on the classic superhero story, a young baby from the doomed planet Krypton is sent to Earth, where he is adopted by an elderly couple in India who name him Shekhar. After growing to an adult and learning about his origins and powers, he goes to the city in search of his school sweetheart, Gita, who has become a newpaper reporter. At the same time, Verma, Shekhar's rival for Gita's affection in their school days, has gone on to become a crime lord and general super-villain. Verma has hatched at plan to become rich by devastating part of India with natural disasters, then buying up all of the abandoned land. Will Superman/Shekhar be able to put a stop to Verma's evil plan? Will he win Gita's heart? Will he keep his double identity a secret?

Confidence
75
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

Indian Superman (directed by Satish Bhakri) was released in India in 1987. As a foreign production from 1987, its US copyright status is governed by the 1976 Copyright Act's notice requirements and the later URAA restoration provisions. Under the 1976 Act, works published between 1978 and March 1, 1989, required a valid copyright notice or registration within five years to secure US protection. No US copyright registration for this film exists in the post-1978 online Copyright Office records. While the URAA (1996) restored US copyright to many foreign works, this only applies if the work was still under copyright in its source country (India) on January 1, 1996. While Indian copyright generally lasts 60 years, the lack of a documented US theatrical or authorized home video release with proper notice, combined with the absence of a US registration or a URAA 'Notice of Intent to Enforce' (NIE), makes its US status legally murky. Because there is no evidence of the film meeting US notice formalities during the 'notice window' and no record of active US rights enforcement, the status is uncertain, leaning towards a lack of US protection. Furthermore, the film is an orphan work; the production company is inactive and there is no evidence of a modern rightsholder managing US licensing. Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • U.S. Copyright Office Public Catalog (cocatalog.loc.gov)
  • IMDb - Indian Superman (1987)
  • 17 U.S.C. § 405 (Notice requirements for 1978-1989 works)
  • URAA/GATT Restoration Records (Copyright.gov)

Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.