The Desperate Hours

The Desperate Hours (1955), directed by William Wyler, is a classic US film production. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works from 1955 required a renewal filing in their 28th year to maintain protection. This film was originally registered by Paramount Pictures Corp. on October 6, 1955, under registration number LP5433. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress records confirms that Paramount Pictures Corporation successfully renewed the copyright on August 15, 1983, under renewal registration number RE0000171960. As a result of this timely renewal and the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act, the film's copyright is protected for a total term of 95 years from publication, meaning it will not enter the public domain in the US until January 1, 2051. The film remains under active commercial management by Paramount Global, with recent high-definition restorations and distribution via major streaming and physical media outlets, further confirming its non-orphan, protected status.