The Return of the Whistler

The film 'The Return of the Whistler' was released by Columbia Pictures in 1948. Under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the Copyright Office during the 28th year of the initial copyright term to avoid falling into the public domain. Research of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) confirms that Columbia Pictures Corp. successfully filed for renewal. The film was originally registered on March 18, 1948, under registration number LP1513. It was renewed on March 12, 1975, under renewal number R599903. Because this renewal was validly filed, the copyright was extended for a second term. Under the 1976 Copyright Act and subsequent extensions (like the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act), works renewed in this window remain protected for a total of 95 years from the date of original publication. Therefore, the film will not enter the public domain in the United States until January 1, 2044.