Liane, Jungle Goddess

Liane, Jungle Goddess (originally Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald) was a West German production released in its home country in October 1956. It was distributed in the United States by Distributors Corp. of America (DCA) in 1957. Under the framework for foreign films released between 1928 and 1963, US copyright status typically depended on a US registration followed by a renewal 28 years later. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) does not reveal a renewal record for this title. However, because this is a foreign-shot film, it is subject to the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) restoration of 1996. Under 17 USC § 104A, the film's US copyright would be restored if it was still under copyright protection in its source country (Germany) on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). Since West German copyright for cinematographic works generally lasts 70 years after the death of the last surviving author or 50-70 years from publication depending on the specific regime, it likely remained protected in Germany in 1996. Nevertheless, without a specific US registration record or evidence of a filed 'Notice of Intent to Enforce' (NIE) on the online Copyright Office database (which covers 1978–present), its status in the US is legally complex. While it may technically be restored, the lack of primary renewal/registration records and its presence in several low-budget 'public domain' style collections leaves the status as uncertain.