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A public performance licensing fee includes money paid to the entire cast and crew who worked on the film from start to finish. If these men and women do not receive this hard-earned revenue through sources like licensing fees, they may no longer invest their time, research and development costs to create new movies.

What happens to those who violate copyright law?

Motion picture companies can and will go to court to ensure their copyrights are not violated. Those convicted could face embarrassing publicity, up to five years in prison and fines ranging up to $250,000.

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Most films are subject to copyright, but those listed here are believed to be in the public domain in the United States. This means that no government, organization, or individual owns any copyright over the work, and as such it is common property.[1] This list is not comprehensive; the vast majority of public domain films are not included here for various reasons. Films in this list may incorporate elements from other works that are still under copyright, even though the film itself is out of copyright.

There is no official list of films (or other works) in the public domain. It is difficult to determine the public domain status of a film because it can incorporate any or all of the following copyrightable elements:

Film copyright involves the copyright status of multiple elements that make up the film.[4] A film can lose its copyright in some of those elements while retaining copyright in other elements.[4] Experts in the field of public domain sometimes differ in their opinions as to whether a particular film is in the public domain.

The use of music in a film can cause uncertainty with regard to copyright. As of 2010[update], it is not known whether the use of music in a film constitutes publication of the music for the purpose of copyright.[5] Unpublished works are treated differently from published works under US copyright law.[6]

Judges, too, differ in their interpretation of the laws governing copyright protection. The United States is a "patchwork quilt" of inconsistent copyright rules in different federal judicial districts. The courts of one jurisdiction are not obliged to follow the decisions of another.[7] The Supreme Court of the United States (which could resolve those inconsistencies) very seldom decides copyright cases, and then only when an important principle is involved.[citation needed]

If a film appears on the list below, there is a high probability it has lost some or all of its United States copyright protection or, in the case of U.S. government films, was never protected by copyright.

Motion picture copyright registrations prior to 1978 were published in semi-annual Copyright Catalogs. The Library of Congress also published cumulative Copyright Catalogs of motion picture registrations for the periods

Some decades of The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures include copyright registration information for feature films (not shorts) of United States origin. This can include a statement that research failed to disclose copyright registration for a particular film. Copyright registration information is given in the following:

The United States copyright website catalogs all the pre-1978 works that have been renewed in 1978 or later.[9] Several pieces of work have been renewed in the form of collections, thus giving the collection as a whole copyright protection.

Films published before March 1, 1989, had to contain a valid copyright notice in order to claim copyright. At the bare minimum, the copyright notice had to include the word "copyright" or an acceptable abbreviation (like a circled C), the year of publication (which could not be more than one year ahead of the actual publication), and the name of any entity claiming the copyright.

For example, episodes of the animated TV series The New 3 Stooges were published with an incomplete copyright notice with a year and copyright symbol but no claimant. The series was published prior to 1989, and the lack of an explicit claimant ensured that the series immediately lapsed into the public domain. If the series had been published after this date, the owner of any copyright would have been unclear due to uncertainty over ownership of the series.

As a result of the passage of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, a copyright notice is not required for films published on March 1, 1989, or later. An invalid notice or a lack of one would not invalidate the copyright to works published between 1978 and March 1, 1989, as long as a proper notice was added to subsequent copies.[11]

Films registered between 1928 and 1963 had to have their copyrights renewed in order for them not to enter the public domain. The semi-annual Copyright Catalog booklets have virtually complete lists of renewals for the films registered 28 years earlier. Those semi-annual booklets all are out of print. However, for 1928 through 1959, the Film Superlist books match copyright renewals with earlier registrations. Copyright registrations and renewals can be found in

Before the passage of the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) in 1998, the term of copyright in the U.S. was a maximum of 75 years, with the work entering the public domain on January 1 of the 76th year from creation (so, for example, a film made in 1930 whose copyright was properly registered and renewed would enter the public domain on January 1, 2006). As such, all films released before 1923 would have entered the public domain by January 1, 1998. Although the CTEA added 20 years to the terms of all existing copyrights until 2019, it explicitly refused to revive any copyrights that had expired prior to its passage. On January 1, 2019, the 20-year extension expired and new works began entering the public domain each year thereafter.

Many of the movies listed below are based on novels, plays, magazine stories or a combination of these sources. In some cases, a film's copyright has lapsed because of non-renewal while the underlying literary or dramatic source is still protected by copyright; for example, the movie His Girl Friday (1940) became a public domain film in 1969 because it was not renewed, but it is based on the 1928 play The Front Page, which is still under copyright until 2024 and thus, as a practical matter, the film cannot be used without permission.[4]

All works made by United States government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain from their creation. The status of works made by contractors is dependent on the terms of their contract. Note that this applies only to the federal government, and not to state or local governments, which may or may not claim copyright depending on state laws.[12]

Copyright law provides a specific exemption for films shown by instructors or students in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction. (17 U.S.C. 110(1).) As long as a lawfully made copy is used for such classroom showings, no prior permission from the copyright holder is required. If you have questions about whether or not your use qualifies for this exemption, please fill out the Movie Request Form to submit a request. The Copyright Licensing Office will review the details of your use and help determine whether or not it qualifies.

For public movie showings on campus that are not within the course of face-to-face teaching activities in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, permission and a license from the respective copyright holder is generally required. Basically, if the movie is intended for entertainment rather than classroom-type purposes, a license is required. Please fill out the Movie Request Form to submit a request for licensing with our office (please allow 1-2 weeks for the processing of your request). Contact 801-422-9339 or copyright@byu.edu for assistance if needed.

The BYU Copyright Licensing Office does not assist with licenses for off-campus movie showings. For permission to show an Excel Entertainment film, please email permissions@deseretbook.com. For other films, you may wish to pursue licensing through Swank Motion Pictures or Christian Video Licensing International. Church leaders serving in BYU wards and stakes can contact our office for additional guidance, if needed (801-422-9339 or copyright@byu.edu).

Contact the Copyright Licensing Office at 801-422-9339 or copyright@byu.edu or fill out the Movie Request Form to submit a movie licensing request. Please allow 1-2 weeks for the processing of your request.

Public Domain is an intellectual property designation referring to the body of creative works and knowledge in which no person, government or organization has any proprietary interest such as a copyright. These works are considered part of the public cultural and intellectual heritage of content that is not owned or controlled by anyone and which may be freely used by all.

A film's protected status and protectable life begins with the initial commercial showing, the copyright registration date, or the in-notice date - whichever comes first. To help people understand the general principles of why a film enters the public domain, Festival Films has put together a helpful copyright guide.

There are hundreds of movies, cartoons and dozens of television shows that are now in the public domain, which means that they may be shown at public screenings without violating copyright laws. The copyrights to many of these movies were either not properly registered initially or were not renewed and therefore the content is now in the public domain.

For more detailed and official information about the copyright status of film and television works, please consult the website of the United States Copyright Office. The website has a wealth of information concerning copyright, including a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions, a complete collection of their publications, and registration forms. There is also an online database of registrations and renewals since 1978. ff782bc1db