Public Domain
Queen of the Amazons
1947 · Screen Guild Productions · Dir. Edward Finney
Jean Preston is determined to find her fiancée, Greg Jones, who went on a safari and didn’t come back when expected. She travels to Akbar, India with Greg’s father, Colonel Jones, Wayne Monroe and the Professor. She asks about Jones at the front desk of the hotel where she stays.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Queen of the Amazons (1947) entered the public domain in the United States because its initial 28-year copyright term expired, and the owners failed to file a renewal with the US Copyright Office. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published before 1964 required a formal renewal during the 28th year of their term to maintain protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that while the film was registered for copyright by Screen Guild Productions, Inc. on January 15, 1947 (Registration No. L792), no renewal was filed in 1974 or 1975. The film's inclusion in several reputable public domain film lists, such as the Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949), confirms this lapse. Consequently, the work fell into the public domain on January 1, 1976.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (https://exhibits.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals)
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, Motion Pictures 1912-1939; 1940-1949
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Queen of the Amazons, 1947)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.