Slightly Scarlet

The film 'Slightly Scarlet' was released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1956. Under the 1909 US Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a copyright renewal with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their initial term to maintain protection. While the film was originally registered for copyright on February 17, 1956 (LP6147) by Benedict Bogeaus Productions, a search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) confirms that no renewal was filed in the 28-year window (roughly 1983–1984). The failure to renew the copyright at the expiration of the first 28-year term caused the work to lapse into the public domain in the United States. This status is supported by the film's inclusion in several reputable public domain film lists, such as Hurst's 'Film Superlist' (Volume 3), and its frequent availability from public domain distributors such as Alpha Video and VCI Entertainment. Since it is a US production, it did not qualify for copyright restoration under the URAA/GATT provisions of 1996, which only applied to foreign works.