Public Domain
The Big Combo
1955 · Allied Artists / Security Pictures · Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Big Combo was released in early 1955 and registered for copyright by Security Pictures, Inc. on March 30, 1955 (LP4550). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their initial term to maintain protection for a second term. For a 1955 registration, the renewal window opened in 1982 and closed at the end of 1983.
Searches of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and the US Copyright Office online records indicate that no renewal was ever filed for this title. Because the copyright was not renewed, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1984. It is widely cited in public domain literature (including the Film Superlist and the AFI Catalog) as a classic example of a major film noir that fell out of copyright due to administrative oversight.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U. Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) - Renewals search: No records found for The Big Combo (1955)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database: No renewal record located for LP4550
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950-1959) by David Pierce
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Note: Lack of renewal is a known status for this title)
- Library of Congress: Motion Pictures, 1950-1959, registration LP4550 (March 30, 1955)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.