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Poster: skybandit Date: Dec 10, 2009 10:03pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

The Rankin-Bass "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has a copyright notice of MCLXIV, or 1164! Does that make it PD due to an invalid notice, or do the underlying rights to the Rudolph character cause it to belong to Monkey-Wards? Any other PD Xmas specials that you know of?
This post was modified by skybandit on 2009-12-11 06:03:01
This post was modified by skybandit on 2009-12-11 06:03:16
This post was modified by skybandit on 2009-12-11 06:03:46

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Poster: MoviePowderDotCom Date: Dec 13, 2009 9:59am
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

Thanks for the idea! I set up a X-mas section to get my site a little festive.

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Poster: Video-Cellar Date: Dec 10, 2009 10:31pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

Rudolph the character, story, song, idea, name and shade of red seem to be very much in the grasp of his owners. But, yes the faulty copyright notice in the Rankin-Bass film renders it as PD as the Max Fleischer Cartoon. In any publication, and it cannot be argued that this film was not "published" before it's first copyright period would have ended, copyright starts at the date in notice. The copyright office should have rejected the copyright and renewal applications for this film. Clearly when it comes to this type of film the USCO shows discretion that it legally doesn't have the right to. A similar case is "The Greatest Story Ever Told". They left out the MC in the date and had a copyright notice of 1065. Legally, the copyright starts at that date regardless of publication date, so a renewal needed to be filed 28 years from Date-In-Notice (regardless to the fact that it was 872 years before publication) to maintain copyright. Of course the USCO dutifully stamped a registration and 2 renewals for the film. But: "DOA" 1950 release, 1949 D-I-N 1978 renewal rejected. "Father's Little Dividend", "Three Guys Named Mike", "Royal Wedding", "Vengeance Valley", etc 1951 releases, 1950 notices, 1979 renewals rejected. "Last Time I Saw Paris" 1954 release, 1945 D-I-N 1982 renewal rejected. Guess the guy who check those ones wasn't on duty in the early 90s. There are loads of Xmas specials in the PD. I'll work up a list.
This post was modified by Video-Cellar on 2009-12-11 06:29:44
This post was modified by Video-Cellar on 2009-12-11 06:31:55

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Poster: skybandit Date: Dec 11, 2009 3:12am
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

Thanks again. I was downloading it from YouTube to make an Xmas disc for my grandkids, and read the "goofs" section of it's IMDb entry. Figuring that only the original GE production had this mistake, I looked at the download, and sure enough, copyright 1164! Think I should upload it?

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Poster: archivemovie123 Date: Dec 11, 2009 6:31am
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

Thank you so much Video-Cellar! It would be great to have a good safe list of PD Christmas specials.

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Poster: HektorT Date: Dec 12, 2009 8:37am
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

While waiting for Video Cellar, here is a quick list of Christmas movies on Archive.org

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Miracle on 34th Street
Christmas without snow (1981)

Speaking of Vengeance valley, the reminds me of something I wanted to ask here...The sundowners (1950) is PD, and there is a sequel of sorts called High Lonesome (also 1950) I couldn't find it renewed in the 1978 online database. Is it also PD?

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Poster: Freddie Jaye Date: Dec 14, 2009 12:39pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

I searched the site for "Miracle on 34th St." (which is, I think, a one-hour TV adaptation of the movie) and can't find it. Can you post a link, please?

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Poster: HektorT Date: Dec 16, 2009 3:53am
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Xmas question for Video-Cellar

I read that those three were on here somewhere, and I didn't check all of them. In fact Miracle on 34th street is on archive.org http://www.archive.org/details/ScreenDirectorsPlayhouse But it's a radio version. I think the movie must be under copyright as the DVD is distributed by 20th century fox and is also available in BluRay I also just found this from a 2 day old post in the classic tv thread, >>To my disappointment, a few Christmas programmes have been removed. I had burned 8 or so shows for a couple of Christmas DVDs last year; of those, these are now missing from archive.org: a) The December 1955 TV production "Miracle on 34th Street."<<
This post was modified by HektorT on 2009-12-16 05:46:24
This post was modified by HektorT on 2009-12-16 11:53:04