Public Domain
The Crooked Way
1949 · Benedict Bogeaus Production / United Artists · Dir. Robert Florey
A war veteran suffering from amnesia, returns to Los Angeles from a San Francisco veterans hospital hoping to learn who he is and discovers his criminal past.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Crooked Way was a US production released in 1949 and originally registered for copyright by Benedict Bogeaus Productions, Inc. (LP2291). Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works from this period were required to have their copyright renewed in the 28th year following registration to maintain protection. For a 1949 release, a renewal application should have been filed between 1976 and 1977.
Searches of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and the 'Film Superlist' (Baer) indicate that no renewal was ever filed for this title. Because the renewal was a mandatory formality for films of this era, the failure to renew caused the film to enter the public domain on January 1, 1978. The film is widely available on public domain video labels such as Alpha Video and in public domain collections on the Internet Archive without restriction.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (Motion Pictures 1940-1949)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1940-1949 (Hurst / Baer)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (The Crooked Way, 1949)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.