Public Domain
The Arizona Kid
1939 · Republic Pictures · Dir. Joseph Kane
Roy is a Confederate officer stationed in Missouri during the Civil War. He must put an end to outlaw gangs working under the pretense of service to the Confederacy.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Arizona Kid (1939), starring Roy Rogers and directed by Joseph Kane, was released by Republic Pictures. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year to maintain protection. While the film was originally registered for copyright on September 29, 1939 (LP9286), a search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Hurst/Baer 'Film Superlist' indicates that no renewal was filed in the 27th or 28th year (approx. 1966–1967).
Because Republic Pictures (or its successor National Telefilm Associates) failed to renew the copyright during the statutory window, the work fell into the public domain upon the expiration of its first 28-year term. This is consistent with its presence in public domain film catalogs and its availability on platforms such as the Internet Archive and via various budget DVD distributors (like Alpha Video) who specialize in expired Western copyrights.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Checked 1966-1967)
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: 20,000 Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1930-1939)
- University of Pennsylvania Online Catalog of Copyright Entries
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Arizona Kid (1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.