Lord Shango

Lord Shango was released in 1975, placing it within the 1964–1977 copyright era. Under the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, films from this period are granted automatic renewal of their copyright, provided they were published with a valid copyright notice. Unlike the 1928–1963 window, no manual renewal filing at the 28th-year mark was required to maintain protection. The film was originally distributed by Bryanston Distributing Company, a notorious independent distributor of the mid-70s. A search of the U.S. Copyright Office records confirms a registration for the motion picture under the number PA0000071378, with a date of registration on June 2, 1980, listing 'Lord Shango Productions' as the claimant. This registration, filed within five years of its 1975 publication, satisfies the 'notice cure' requirements of the 1976 Act even if early prints had notice defects. Furthermore, the film is not listed in major public domain databases (such as the Hurst/Baer Superlist) and continues to be commercially licensed for home video and streaming, most recently appearing in high-quality restorations by specialty labels like Vinegar Syndrome. This active commercial exploitation and the existence of a valid PA-series registration confirm its protected status.