Public Reel

PROSPECTING FOR PETROLEUM

n, sponsored by the Shell Oil Co., Inc., 1948. 26 min., sd., color, 16mm. Summary: The story of petroleum: how it was formed through ages of geological change, and how it is found, extracted, and put to use by man today. Credits: Producer, George Pal; director, Duke Goldston; animation, Erwin Broner

Registration LP1778 No renewal found

Term began
1948-02-12
Claimant
Shell Oil Co., Inc
Class
LP — published photoplay (numbering series begun 1946)
Finding
no renewal entry found for 1975-1977 in the CCE motion-picture renewal sections
In the public domain since
1 January 1977 (end of the 28th year, no renewal)

A renewal would have appeared in the Copyright Office's renewal registrations 27 to 29 years after the term began. Those volumes are loaded and no matching renewal was found. A work published 1931–1963 that was not renewed entered the public domain at the end of its 28th year.

A renewal had to be filed in the 28th year and would be listed in the 1975 or 1976 volume; volumes searched: 1975, 1976, 1977.

The renewal sections are OCR text of printed volumes; a damaged record can hide a renewal. Before relying on this, search the linked volumes yourself for the title and for number LP1778.

Catalog entry

Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Parts 12–13: Motion Pictures, 1948, Internet Archive catalogofcopyrig321213lib (OCR text), lines 27755–27766.

tion, sponsored by the Shell Oil Co., 
Inc., 1948. 26 min., sd., color, 16mm. 

Summary: The story of petroleum: how 
it was formed through ages of geological 
change, and how it is found, extracted, 
and put to use by man today. 

Credits: Producer, George Pal; director, 
Duke Goldston; animation, Erwin Broner. 

© Shell Oil Co., Inc.; 12Feb48; LP1778. 

Copies on the Internet Archive

Searched on 5 September 2026; no item with this title and year was found.

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