Public Domain
Lure of the Islands
1942 · Monogram Pictures · Dir. Jean Yarbrough
Tana, a voluptuous half-caste girl of the South Seas, falls in love with FBI agent Wally and wishes to marry him and leave the island. Wally, with his pal Jinx, is there to investigate rumored Japanese spy activity. He agrees to marry her if she will help him in his investigations. Through the discovery of a contraband radio set tuned to Japanese reception, Wally learns that the local Commandant is in league with the enemy and is planning an invasion of the island.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film was released in 1942 and registered for copyright by Monogram Pictures Corp. under registration number LP11531 on August 14, 1942. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of the first term to extend protection for a second term.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this title. For a 1942 registration, the renewal window would have been in 1969 or 1970. Because the copyright was not renewed, the film's protection expired at the end of its first 28-year term, and it entered the public domain on January 1, 1971. The film is widely cited in public domain filmographies, such as 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain'.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (covering 1923–1963 registrations)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939, 1940-1949, 1950-1959)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, Motion Pictures 1912-1939 and 1940-1949
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1941-1950)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.