
Protected
Ruby
1977 · Dimension Pictures · Dir. Curtis Harrington
Strange killings occur at Ruby's drive-in theatre, sixteen years after the murder of her gangster boyfriend.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Ruby' (1977), starring Piper Laurie, was registered for U.S. copyright by Dimension Pictures, Inc. under registration number LP48446 (dated June 27, 1977). As a U.S. work published between 1964 and 1977, its copyright was automatically renewed for a second 67-year term by the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, regardless of whether a renewal filing was made. The copyright is currently active and will not expire until 95 years after its publication (December 31, 2072). The film remains under active commercial exploitation, with a recent Blu-ray restoration by VCI Entertainment and current streaming availability, confirming it is not an orphan work. Other films titled 'Ruby' (such as the 1992 film starring Danny Aiello) are from the post-1977 era and are also protected under the 1976 Act.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, 1977
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- IMDb
- VCI Entertainment distribution records
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.