Interesting, I wonder how one grants a license for a public domain design.
From :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(1927_movie)
" The Maschinenmensch, the robot character played by Brigitte Helm, was
created by
Walter Schultze-Mittendorf. A chance discovery of a sample of "plastic
wood"
(a pliable substance designed as wood-filler) allowed him to sculpt the
costume
like a suit of armour over a plaster cast of the actress. Spraypainted a
mix of
silver and bronze, it helped create some of the most memorable moments on
film.
Helm suffered greatly during the filming of these scenes wearing this
rigid and
uncomfortable costume, which cut and bruised her, but Fritz Lang insisted
on her
playing the part, even if nobody would know it was her. Walter
Schulze-Mittendorf
(Mittendorff), the sculptor, is still the owner of the copyrights for the
Maschinenmensch - Robotdesign "
http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/copyright-restoration.html
Here's a small sample of works that have had their US copyrights restored:
- Works by J.R.R. Tolkien, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Hundreds of works by Picasso, including Guernica and his portraits of Dora
Maar and Gertrude Stein
- Fritz Lang's Metropolis