Stratosphere Flight

The film 'Stratosphere Flight' (often referred to by its character name as 'Cubby's Stratosphere Flight') was released on January 20, 1934, as part of the Cubby the Bear series produced by Van Beuren Studios and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works from this era were granted an initial 28-year term of protection, which required a manual renewal during the 28th year to extend the copyright for a second term. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this specific title or the Cubby the Bear series generally by Van Beuren or its successors (such as RKO or Commonwealth Pictures). Most Van Beuren cartoons entered the public domain in the early 1960s due to this failure to renew. The Film Superlist: 1894-1939 also confirms the lack of renewal for Van Beuren shorts from this period. Consequently, the film fell into the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its first term in 1962.