Mr. No Legs

Determining the status of 'Mr. No Legs' (1978) is complex due to its release during the 'notice window' or 'decennial period' of the US 1976 Copyright Act. Under 17 USC § 405, works published between January 1, 1978, and February 28, 1989, required a valid copyright notice on the prints or a registration filed within five years to maintain protection. If neither occurred, the work entered the public domain. A search of the US Copyright Office online database (covering 1978 to present) reveals no registration under the title 'Mr. No Legs' or the alternative title 'Gun Fighter.' Furthermore, the film became a staple of the 'grey market' and cult video circuits (released by entities like Alpha Video and Massacre Video), which often suggests a lack of a clear, enforceable copyright trail or a failure to comply with notice/registration requirements at the time of publication. However, because the film is widely exploited commercially today through boutique labels and streaming services, and the absence of a registration is not definitive proof of a lack of notice on original prints, the status is 'uncertain.' To be 'protected,' a specific registration or evidence of valid notice would be required; to be definitively 'public domain,' one would need proof of publication specifically without notice. Given the lack of a registration record in the modern LoC database, it leans toward public domain, but remains unconfirmed.