Inner Sanctum

The film 'Inner Sanctum' (based on the popular radio series and Simon & Schuster books) was released in 1948 by Mars Film Corporation and distributed by Film Classics, Inc. Under the copyright laws in effect at the time, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal of copyright with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of the original term to remain protected. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that while the film was originally registered for copyright on October 15, 1948 (registration LP1943), no renewal was ever filed by the holder or any successor in interest. As the 28-year window for renewal expired in 1976, the film entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its initial term. The film is widely known in the industry as a public domain title and is frequently distributed by companies specializing in PD materials, such as Alpha Video and various archive collections.