Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it in the open and log it here. A public correction is a health signal, not an embarrassment — it is how an evidence-first project earns trust. Spotted an error? Tell us →
| Date | Film | Layer | What changed & why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Class of 2027 page (Little Caesar, Cimarron) | Removed Little Caesar and Cimarron from the films entering the public domain on 1 January 2027, and from the Class of 1931 dataset. Both are already public domain (since 1 January 2026). Both were registered for copyright in December 1930 although released in January 1931; the term runs from the 1930 date. Reported by a reader on r/publicdomain (u/Classicsarecool). | |
| 2026-10-05 | King Kong (1933) | story | Added the 1976 ruling (Judge Manuel Real) that the 1932 Lovelace novelization and its magazine serialization are public domain for non-renewal, alongside the later Universal v. Nintendo case. A reader on r/publicdomain pointed out that the novel's public-domain status comes from the 1976 Universal/RKO case, not the Nintendo case (u/FernWaltersOfficial). |
| 2026-07-12 | King Kong (1933) | story | Softened the 1932 novelization / underlying-story layer from an implied clean public-domain reading to 'partially protected — uncertain'. Community feedback (Reddit, u/Pawesome_James) correctly noted that Universal City Studios v. Nintendo turned on Universal's own lack of rights, not on the novelization's PD status, and LibriVox has not cleared the book. We had over-read the earlier note. Corrections are a health signal, not an embarrassment. |