Badmovies.org Forum

So now that most things published in the U.S. before 1923 are in the public domain, let's create a thread of everything which is now free:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59112/59112-h/59112-h.htm (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59112/59112-h/59112-h.htm)

R. U. R. (ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS) The play which first used the word "robot" to mean "artificial person."

More should be falling into the public domain this year. Know of anything interesting?

The Great Gatsby https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby_(1925)

"Great Gatsby" is the headliner for sure.

Here's a pretty good list:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/

Thanks. Here's works from 1925 which Google's scanned: https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=the&tbs=,cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1925,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1925&num=100 (https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=the&tbs=,cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1925,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1925&num=100)

RATS! Amazing Stories won't start falling into the public domain till next year.  :bluesad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Stories#1920s

Argosy & All Story had some sci-fi stuff tho: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argosy_(magazine)

Apparently, the story Freaks (1932) was based on is in the public domain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spurs_(short_story)

Not a new entry this year either; it was published in a magazine in 1923.

New PD-Us music:

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfNQdgu-C0A&list=WL&index=4#)

In South Africa, films fall into the public domain after 50 years and unlike in the USA, copyright can't be renewed.

Copyrights can't be renewed in the U.S. either, not today.

Copyrights in the U.S. used to last 28 years. They then could be renewed for a second 28-year period. This changed in the 70's when the U.S entered the Berne Convention. Then things get more complicated...

Works published before 1964, I think, fall under the old rules. Works published after that date have their copyright renewed automatically.

In the early 90's, congress decided to let people or groups who own works first published outside the U.S. renew U.S. copyrights on works which had already entered the public domain in the U.S, if said work was still copyrighted in their own country. Say you were in Germany in 1950, & you published a book. It was translated & sold in the U.S. in 1951. Twenty years later, the book's gone out-of-print, so you let the U.S. copyright expire. You could, in theory, petition the courts to renew the copyright on your book. However, if you were in the U.S., & you published a book in the U.S. in 1950, & you let the copyright expire, you cannot petition the courts to renew the copyright.

Is that as clear as mud? I'm talking about things which are above my paygrade & outside my field of expertise.

In the late 90's, the U.S. extended their copyright terms, from 50 years after the death of the author, to 70 years. They could've done so again two years ago, but they didn't. My thoughts: by the late 70's & into the late 90's, most works were made by extremely profitable companies, who could lobby to have copyrights extended, & there wasn't a powerful lobbyist group to oppose them. Today there are some major tech companies who make a lot of money by organizing data, not by creating data, so they'd have their own lobbyist groups working to shorten copyright laws. Again, I'm talking about things which are above my paygrade & outside my field of expertise, so take that with a grain of salt, or a whole salt shaker.   :smile:

Personally I don't get the appeal of public domain movies. Are there rare gems that never aired on TV or made it to video?

The appeal is that you don't have to pay anyone to use, broadcast, copy, or make transformational art from them.

Well, for me as an average movie watcher/physical media collector those things don't apply to me at all.  :smile:

Other than the fact that resellers who sell you public domain content shouldn't be charging as much, no. You can also stream or download p.d. stuff for free without transgressing anyone's rights.

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64mjtWx1wEU#)

Is Zorro in the Public Domain?

From the Copyright Term Extension Act wiki entry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act


The two main reasons for the extension:

1. to protect U.S. works in foreign countries, and thus ensure a healthy balance of trade;

2. life expectancy rates rose, which means creators should be allowed to receive continued benefits from their work.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_world_book_(1923)

The World Book Encyclopedia from 1923!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Hirtle_chart

A chart, showing when wotrks fall into the public domain in the U.S.

There are links on the right side of the chart; if you follow them you'll find lists of works which should be in the public domain.

Here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:PD_US That's a list of stuff which should be in the Public Domain in the U.S.