Stalker

Stalker is a foreign production (Soviet Union) first released in May 1979. While it was produced during the 'notice window' of the US 1976 Copyright Act (1978–1989) where lack of notice or registration could potentially result in public domain status in the United States, its status is governed by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) codified in 17 U.S.C. § 104A. Under the URAA, copyrights for foreign works were automatically restored on January 1, 1996, provided the work was still under copyright in its source country and had fallen into the public domain in the U.S. due to non-compliance with formalities (like lack of notice or failure to register). As a Soviet film, Stalker was protected under Soviet law and subsequently Russian law. Even if it had entered the US public domain due to a lack of a US copyright notice during its initial limited US distribution, its copyright was restored. The film is currently actively managed and licensed by Mosfilm, with high-profile US distribution through the Criterion Collection, confirming its protected status.