Observed arrival · 2026-09-06

Public Reel: A Shot Atlas for Films with Copyright Evidence

publicreel.org Observed source

Editorial interest 88/100 Selection signal · not a rating of the site

Public Reel maps US film copyright records to films that may be free to use, then lets visitors search a 130,322-shot atlas by frame description or on-screen text.

Landing page captured for the 2026-09-06 issue.

Field notes

Public Reel combines a registration database with a visual research layer. Its findings classify records as term expired, no renewal found, renewed, or uncertain, while the curated shelf links selected films to Archive copies and a shot-level atlas. The homepage reports 107,887 registrations across 94,512 catalog entries and says the atlas contains 130,322 searchable shots from 336 films. It explicitly separates research evidence from legal clearance for a particular use.

Observed signals

Read the marks

Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.

○OpenPublic substance visible

✦PrettyNotable craft visible

●ProPolished or operationally mature

◎NicheUnusually specific use

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