Basis: Published before 1931 - U.S. copyright term expired
Evidence: First published 1926 (before 1931): US copyright term has expired. Roland West / United Artists, premiered 1926-03-14; title card notice 'Copyright MCMXXVI by Feature Productions Inc.'. Based on the 1920 play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood (PD). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bat_(1926_film) . Rights log: files/growth/crime-rights-log.md (2026-10-23).
Music: Silent film. The credits name a 2004 'Original Score' by Paul David Bergel; that score is NOT in this copy (its audio track is digital silence) and the Starlite copy has no audio track. CC0 piano bed is played; original audio muted.
