Image: Katharine Hepburn promo pic

Description: Studio publicity photograph of Katharine Hepburn. The full image, seen here, includes a stock number, the name of the studio, and the name of the subject - confirming that this was a promotional image. Such images were taken by a studio photographer, and then disseminated to the media and the public for the purpose of promoting their contract stars. Public domain explanation If the photograph was copyrighted, under the terms of the 1909 Copyright Act this copyright would have had to be renewed 28 years after publication. A search for copyright renewal records of 1968 ([1], [2]) 1969 ([3], [4]) and 1970 ([5],[6]) reveal no trace that this occurred. This was a common occurrence for studio publicity images, as explained by Eve Light Honathaner, in The Complete Film Production Handbook (Focal Press, 2001), p. 211: "Publicity photos (star headshots) have traditionally not been copyrighted. Since they are disseminated to the public, they are generally considered public domain, and therefore clearance by the studio that produced them is not necessary."
Title: Katharine Hepburn promo pic
Credit: [7] alt source: [8]
Author: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio (work for hire)
Permission: This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 and although there may or may not have been a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed. Unless its author has been dead for the required period, it is copyrighted in the countries or areas that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, such as Canada (50 pma), Mainland China (50 pma, not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany (70 pma), Mexico (100 pma), Switzerland (70 pma), and other countries with individual treaties. See Commons:Hirtle chart for further explanation. Deutsch | English | español | français | italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | македонски | português | português do Brasil | русский | українська | +/−
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No