Shotgun Law
PUBLIC DOMAIN FYI
Fetch!
The Day of the Wolves poster
Public Domain

The Day of the Wolves

1971 · Gold Key Entertainment · Dir. Ferde Grofé Jr.

A group of six thieves selected from different areas are sent a letter that promises them a minimum of $50,000 and includes a plane ticket. The letter instructs them to grow a beard. After being given a blindfolded ride from the airport, they arrive at a ghost town and meet with the boss (Number #1, Jan Murray). All of the "Wolves" are assigned a number, wear identical overalls and instructed never to take off the gloves that they are given. They are only to address eachother by their numbers; in that way, if one is caught, he can't rat-out the others. Number #1 reveals to them that they will take over a town, and clean it out. Using the ghost town for training, they develop their tactics to fleece the town.

Confidence
85
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

The Day of the Wolves was released in 1971. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1964 and 1977 do not require renewal; however, they still required a valid copyright notice upon publication to secure federal protection in the United States. If a work of this era was published without a proper notice (usually consisting of the '©' symbol or the word 'Copyright', the year of publication, and the name of the copyright owner), it entered the public domain immediately upon release. While a formal registration was later filed with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1980 (PA0000078832) by Ferde Grofe Jr., evidence from film preservationists and copyright researchers indicates that the original 1971 theatrical and television release prints lacked a valid copyright notice. The film has been widely cited in public domain catalogs for decades and is a staple of '50-movie pack' collections from distributors like Mill Creek Entertainment and Alpha Video, which specialize in public domain content. The presence of the film on the Internet Archive and its continuous distribution by PD-specialist labels without legal challenge supports the conclusion of public domain status due to notice failure.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • U.S. Copyright Office Public Catalog (PA0000078832)
  • AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  • Internet Archive - Feature Films Section
  • Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)

Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.