''Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain'' is a series of reference books created by attorney Walter Hurst about the
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
status of films.
Each ''Film Superlist'' volume contains the main text of the
Cumulative Copyright Catalog of Motion Pictures for the period covered. Each entry has the title, copyright registration number, and copyright registration date. For films that were renewed, the renewal registration number and date have been added. Under
United States copyright law
The copyright law of the United States grants monopoly protection for "original works of authorship". With the stated purpose to promote art and culture, copyright law assigns a set of exclusive rights to authors: to make and sell copies of thei ...
, films registered prior to 1964 required renewal during the 28th year following registration in order to continue copyright protection in the U.S. The
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...
published renewals in its semi-annual copyright catalogs for all renewals through the end of 1977.
Following Hurst's death, publication of the ''Film Superlist'' books was continued by the Hollywood Film Archive. The current ''Film Superlist'' editor is D. Richard Baer.
In reviewing the 1992 updated edition of ''Film Superlist'' 1940–1949, ''
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' stated, "This volume, part of a three-volume set, updates and emends the excellent earlier (1979) edition by Walter Hurst. With the main text derived from the U.S. Copyright Office's Catalogue of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1940–1949 , editor Baer assists the user in ascertaining the copyrighted status of 18,767 films copyrighted in the United States from 1940 to 1949."
['']Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' review; February 1993
See also
*
Public domain film
Many films have been released to the public domain intentionally by the film's author, or because the copyright has expired.
Public domain film by country Japan
Many pre-1954 Japanese films have passed into public domain in Japan. See Japanese ...
*
List of films in the public domain in the United States
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 ...
*
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...
Notes
Catalogues
Copyright law literature
Copyright law lists
Public domain in the United States
Film guides
Books about film
{{film-book-stub