Protected
Unfaithfully Yours
1948 · Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. · Dir. Preston Sturges
Before he left for a brief European visit, symphony conductor Sir Alfred De Carter casually asked his staid brother-in-law August to look out for his young wife, Daphne, during his absence. August has hired a private detective to keep tabs on her. But when the private eye's report suggests Daphne might have been canoodling with his secretary, Sir Alfred begins to imagine how he might take his revenge.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Unfaithfully Yours (1948), written and directed by Preston Sturges, is a classic US production from the 1928–1963 era. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works from this period required a renewal in their 28th year to maintain protection. This film was originally registered by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. on September 14, 1948 (LP2164). A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress records confirms that the copyright was timely renewed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. on December 1, 1975 (R620948). This renewal extended the copyright for a second term, and subsequent legislation (the 1976 Act and the Sony Bono Copyright Term Extension Act) further extended the term to 95 years from the date of publication. As a result, the film remains under copyright protection in the United States until January 1, 2044. The rights are currently held by Disney (via its acquisition of 21st Century Fox), and the film is actively distributed through modern boutique labels like The Criterion Collection.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (R620948)
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (LP2164)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- The Criterion Collection (Current Licensing)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.