# RightsAtlas Research Packet — Animal Crackers (1930)

> ⚠️ **NOT legal advice.** This is a primary-source research packet describing **United States** copyright status only. It is not a clearance certificate and not a DMCA counter-notification. Verify independently before any platform dispute.

**Scope:** Tier A — **film-print layer only**. Music, story, trademark, and restorations are NOT cleared by this packet.
**Packet version:** `2026-09-01-c2bade8`  ·  **Generated:** 2026-10-05  ·  **Country:** US  ·  **Last verified:** 2026-09-01

## ⚠️ Sound recordings (pre-1972)
Sound recordings fixed before **15 Feb 1972** can be protected under state law / the Music Modernization Act until **2067 or later** — the film *print* being public domain does **not** free the music track. Assume the recorded score is a claim risk.

## Film print — Verified public domain
- **term_expiry:** Paramount Publix feature, US release August 1930. Its 95-year US copyright term expired December 31, 2025, so the photoplay entered the US public domain on January 1, 2026 by term. That is a bright line: the queue flags this title as renewal_absent_likely (the old 28-year renewal for a 1930 work fell due 1957-1958), but term expiry moots the renewal question entirely. — [US Copyright Office - Duration of Copyright](https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html)
- **term_expiry:** Listed among the 1930-class works that entered the US public domain on Public Domain Day, January 1, 2026. — [Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain - Public Domain Day 2026](https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/)

> Published 1930: US copyright term (95 years) has expired for works published through 1930 — the film print is public domain in the US by term expiry, regardless of country of origin.

## Other layers — NOT cleared by this packet

| Layer | Status | Evidence on file |
|---|---|---|
| Music score | Verified public domain | 2 item(s) |
| Underlying story / screenplay | Verified public domain | 1 item(s) |
| Character trademarks | Undetermined | 1 item(s) |
| Restorations / re-releases | Not public domain | 1 item(s) |

## What this means
- **Watching:** Watching via the linked archival copies is generally the lowest-risk activity.
- **Reusing / monetizing:** Strong public-domain case across print, score and story — reuse and monetization carry the lowest risk profile.

## Archival copies
- [Internet Archive - full feature (~98 min)](https://archive.org/details/animal-crackers-1930) · SD, varies
- [Internet Archive - feature_films copy](https://archive.org/details/animal-crackers_1930) · SD, varies

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_Valid as of 2026-10-05. Copyright status can change — check the live dossier before relying on this in a dispute:_ https://bitgitty.github.io/rightsatlas/film/animal-crackers-1930/