Is Detour (1945) public domain?

Name: Detour
Released: 1945

Country of origin: US · Last verified: 2026-07-16 · Researched by None

Film print: Unclear — this verdict covers the film print only, not the layers below.

Why Unclear, not Clear? This film is widely treated as public domain, but we have not yet attached a primary renewal-search citation — so the verdict stays Unclear until that evidence is on this page. The background and notes below describe the widely-understood status; the label above is the conservative, evidence-gated verdict.

⚠️ Planning to upload or monetize? A public-domain film print does not clear the music score, story, or restorations — and the score is the single most common cause of YouTube Content ID claims. Check every layer, not just the print.
Pre-1972 sound recordings can be protected under US state law and the Music Modernization Act until 2067 or later — the print being public domain does not free the recorded music.

Watching: Watching via the linked archival copies is generally the lowest-risk activity.

Reusing / monetizing: The film print may be free, but at least one layer (music, story, or restoration) is unresolved — expect Content ID claims; keep evidence handy and consider removing or replacing the score.

📄 Download the print-layer research packet (Markdown) — citations you can attach to a dispute. Not legal advice; print layer only.

Rights, layer by layer

A film is not one copyright — it is several. Each layer below can be free or protected independently. This is why one-click “public domain” answers are wrong so often.

Film print (photoplay)	Unclear	renewal_absence_search Under the 1909 Copyright Act a 1945 work's US copyright had to be renewed in its 28th year (renewal window 1972-1974). Checked the primary Catalog of Copyright Entries Motion Pictures renewal volumes for that window and the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (the standard digitized index of 1950-1977 renewals); no renewal registration for 'Detour' (Producers Releasing Corporation) is recorded. PRC's failure to file a renewal is the documented reason the film print is treated as US public domain. Marked likely_pd (not verified_pd) pending line-level extraction of the CCE renewal page. — source renewal_absence_search Cross-checked the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database; no motion-picture renewal record for 'Detour' appears in the 1972-1974 window. — source
Music score	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Underlying story / screenplay	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Character trademarks	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Restorations / re-releases	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.

Watch it free (archival copies)

Internet Archive — Detour (1945), full film

Background

Detour is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and produced by the Poverty Row studio Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), starring Tom Neal and Ann Savage. It is widely documented as a work whose copyright proprietor never filed a 28th-year renewal, so the film print is generally treated as US public domain via non-renewal. RightsAtlas marks the print 'likely public domain' pending line-level confirmation in the Catalog of Copyright Entries renewal volumes; the score and the 2018 Academy Film Archive restoration are assessed on their own layers.