Aaron MossThanks to @[email protected]’s new virtual card catalog (currently in its proof of concept stage), I was able to locate the original application card for Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” 1/5
The movie was registered in 1947, but wasn’t timely renewed, causing the film to enter the public domain. For years, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was show incessantly on nearly ever TV channel this time of year. 2/5
But the film was based on an underlying story, “The Greatest Gift,” which was still protected. Following the Supreme Court’s 1990 “Rear Window” decision (Stewart v. Abend), Republic Pictures quietly bought rights to the music used in the film. 3/5
Armed with exclusive rights to the story and music, the company started sending claim letters to TV stations and networks: Even though the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” was in the public domain, it couldn’t be shown without a license to exploit the underlying elements. 4/5
NBC acquired a exclusive broadcast license in the film. You can catch it this year on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, a link to the Copyright Office’s virtual card catalog is on the Copyright Lately resources page if you want to check it out for yourself! 5/5 https://copyrightlately.com/resources/
parallelarts@copyrightlately Lovely to see this as I - perhaps unsurprisingly given the season - literally just finished watching it #film #Capra #ItsAWondefulLife #ZuzusPetals #GeorgeBailey #JimmyStewart #Americana #Dickensian #HolidayMovie #RedemptionNarrative