Public Domain
The Crime Patrol
1936 · Empire Pictures · Dir. Eugene Cummings
Prizefighter Bob Neal (Ray Walker) is in debt to gangster Vic Santell (Hooper Atchley) for training expenses. Santell orders Bob to take a dive in the fourth round so Santell can recoup prior gambling losses. Taunted by his ring opponent, Bob wins the fight. Realizing that his profession and underworld characters connected to it are causing him problems, Bob decides to join the police force. After taking nurse Mary Prentiss (Geneva Mitchell) to a drive-in restaurant where the total bill is a depression-era cheap eighty-two cents, Bob and his fellow officers round-up a gang of fur thieves in a warehouse shoot-out.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Crime Patrol' (also known simply as 'Crime Patrol') was released in early 1936 by Empire Pictures. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this title or its original production company, Empire Pictures. The film is listed in 'Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894–1939)' by D. Richard Baer, which confirms the absence of a renewal record. As the copyright was not renewed in 1963 or 1964, the work entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its initial 28-year term.
Furthermore, the film is widely distributed by known public domain labels such as Alpha Video and is available on the Internet Archive without restriction, which is consistent with its public domain status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894–1939), Vol 1.
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.