Public domain/ 3 Stooges question

This has boggled me for years.

There are 4 Stooges shorts that get released over and over again by different video companies: "Brideless Groom," "Disorder in the Court," "Sing a Song of Six Pants" and "Malice in the Palace" (all of which are in the public domain). What gives?
These shorts are both from the Curly and Shemp era (various years)and were distibuted by Columbia like their 180 other shorts out there. How do these get to be public domain when the rest aren't??

 

These have been in public domain for at least 20 years. Wouldn't they try to get the rights back or something. How do you forget to re-register?

 

You can see a comprehensive database of movies in the public domain at www.retrofilm.com

 

It's a Wonderful Life is no longer in the public domain so that Republic can make money.

 

So I could own one of these films? How much would one of these cost?

Why wouldn't the studios try to get these back (a la It's A Wonderful Life)?

Thanks for the info BTW.

 

RetroFilm only sells films to TV stations (but no public access/college TV stations), DVD manufacturers, etc. but the database can be useful for even movie viewers to verify if a certain movie is in the PD without going through the LOC website. Steve could buy one of these broadcast films if he wants to issue the films on a DVD.

 

How do they get the prints? Say Columbia owns these Stooges shorts in question and their copyright expires. What does Columbia do? Hand over the prints or does the company that bought the rights have to find one on their own?

 

The company issuing PD movies on DVD, VHS, etc. have to find their own film prints from private collectors, film library archives (such as RetroFilm), etc. Film studios make many prints so that they can circulate them to theaters, TV stations, etc. The Roan Group has found the only surviving print of the uncut version of "The Outlaw" which isn't in very good shape but they "restored" it, warts and all, and other companies such as Platinum Disc, issued a duplicate of the Roan Group restoration of The Outlaw on other DVDs that have the uncut DVDs.

 

In other words, a lot of companies make prints of prints or rip right from videotapes in their vault, from DVDs issued by other companies, etc.

 

I have a Total Movie DVD of "The Night of The Living Dead" which came from the Madacy DVD, but they deleted the trivia quiz so that they could issue trailers, short movies, etc. (mostly other trailers) on the other layer of the DVD. The print is lousy on Madacy, but it suited my desire to watch the movie last night. The authorized DVDs are the ones on Elite Entertainment.

 

16 Public Domain Andy Griffith Shows to be exact...The "Loaded Goat" is Killer

 

Steve, please let Holy Zoo link to Retrofilm as that is a useful resource for PD movie and TV show info

 

I do not understand something......after a movie goes into the Public Domain, how does anybody have the right to purchase the rights?

How does that work. You would think "Public Domain forever". Anybody know?

 

I know that with "It's A Wonderful Life," the rights reverted back to (in this case) Turner because of an underlying music rights issue.

It's pretty rare for someone to get back the rights to a PD film. One of the reason companies were colorizing PD films back in the 80s was because the colorized versions could then be copyrighted.

 

So if they colorized a PD film, they could copyright that version. That does make sense.

I know in music, you can copyright an ARRANGEMENT of a public domain tune. I beile that "In The Mood" is public domain now, but that the Glen Miller arrangement of it is not.

 

Yes, the company could copyright the colorized version. In The Mood is indeed copyrighted and the performing rights agency for this song is ASCAP.

 

Little Brown Jug, American Patrol are 2 Glenn Miller hits which the arrangements are copyrighted, but the songs themselves are PD.

 

www.pdinfo.com does have listings of over 3,500 songs, links to PD sheet music downloads, etc. For copyrighted song info, it's best to go to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC's websites.

 

www.ascap.com
www.bmi.com
www.sesac.com

 

A lot of legal mumbo-jumbo here, but this explains part of it...

http://www.film-center.com/canishow.html