I know from discussions and chats that many are surprised of Warner Bros, especially when its confirmed that the list of available content includes the crown jewels of that companies animated empire Looney Tunes. How could this be when Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and all the rest continue to be marketed heavily and Warner Bros and whoever owns them at present are infamous for their well-funded and vicious legal teams?
Well, some of their output like the Private Snafu cartoons were made by order of the United States Government so fall into the public domain that way. But for the rest and the proper Looney Tunes cartoons the answer is fairly simple. Greed. The Warner Bros company was named after the Warner brothers Albert, Jack, Harry and Sam who founded the studio that became the lynch pin of its corporate holdings. Jack is the only one that's relevant to the story. In 1955 the Warner brothers decided to sell Warner Bros, but at the last moment Jack Warner bought the company back from himself and the rest of the family. Essentially Warner Brothers was now Warner Brother, with the rest of his family shown the door, Jack Warner was in control.
Jack Warner liked making money, but by all accounts viewed animation with contempt. Instead of funding and supporting the transition from theatrical shorts to the emerging TV market Jack sold most of his studio's animation back catalogue. Over the next few years the Looney Tunes and Warner Bros other animated output kept changing hands, who owned what and the rights to do with them was very confusing. In the confusion the 28 year term of copyright for many of the older cartoons went up for renewal, and passed by. So a quick payment in 1955 ended up costing Warner quite a lot in relicensing in the future. Unfortunately this doesn't apply to all of the Looney Tunes back catalogue, Warner Bros eventually realised their error and brought the catalogue back under control long enough to keep everything from expiring.
What follows is the fullest list of Warner Bros animation that entered the public domain in the 20th century.
Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide
Information courtesy of Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain, 1894-1939, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain, 1940-1949, and Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain, 1950-1959 all by Walter E. Hurst.
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90 Day Wondering [government film]
Ain't Nature Grand!
Ali Baba Bound
All This and Rabbit Stew
Any Bonds Today? [propaganda film]
Bars and Stripes Forever
Battling Bosko
Big Man From the North, The
Big-Hearted Bosko
Booby Traps [Pvt. Snafu]
Boom Boom
Booze Hangs High, The
Bosko and Bruno
Bosko and Honey [unreleased]
Bosko at the Beach
Bosko at the Zoo
Bosko Shipwrecked!
Bosko the Doughboy
Bosko the Lumberjack
Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid [pilot]
Bosko's Dog Race
Bosko's Fox Hunt
Bosko's Holiday
Bosko's Party
Bosko's Soda Fountain
Bosko's Store
Box Car Blues
Case of the Missing Hare
Censored [Pvt. Snafu]
Chow Hound, The [Pvt. Snafu]
Coming! Snafu! [Pvt. Snafu]
Confusions of a Nutzy Spy
Congo Jazz
Corny Concerto, A
Coy Decoy, A
Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee
Crowing Pains
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur
Daffy Duckaroo, The
Daffy's Southern Exposure
Daffy–The Commando episode
Day at the Zoo, A
Ding Dog Daddy
Dover Boys At Pimento University (Or The Rivals At Roquefort Hall), The
Drafty, Isn't It? [government film]
Ducktators, The
Dumb Patrol [1931]
Early Worm Gets the Bird, The
Eatin' On The Cuff (Or, The Moth Who Came To Dinner)
Falling Hare
Farm Frolics
Fifth Column Mouse
Fighting Tools [Pvt. Snafu]
Fin N' Catty
Foney Fables
Fox Pop
Freddy the Freshman
Fresh Hare
Gas [Pvt. Snafu]
Get Rich Quick Porky
Going Home [Pvt. Snafu]
Gold Rush Daze
Goldbrick, The [Pvt. Snafu]
Good Egg, The [Mr. Hook]
Goopy Geer
Gopher Goofy
Great Big Bunch of You, A
Gripes [Pvt. Snafu]
Hamateur Night
Haunted Mouse, The
Have You Got Any Castles?
Henpecked Duck, The
Hitch in Time, A [government film]
Hittin' the Trail For Hallelujah Land
Hobby Horse-Laffs
Hold Anything
Hollywood Capers
Hollywood Steps Out
Home Front, The [Pvt. Snafu]
Hop and Go
Hot Spot [Pvt. Snafu]
I Love a Parade
I Wanna Be a Sailor
I Wish I Had Wings
Impatient Patient, The
In the Aleutians [Pvt. Snafu]
Infantry Blues, The [Pvt. Snafu]
Inki and the Minah Bird
It's Got Me Again!
It's Murder She Says [Pvt. Snafu]
Joe Glow the Firefly
Jungle Jitters
Lady, Play Your Mandolin!
Lecture On Camouflage, A [Pvt. Snafu]
Meet John Doughboy
Moonlight For Two
No Buddy Atoll [Pvt. Snafu]
Notes to You
Nutty News
One More Time
Operation: Snafu [Pvt. Snafu]
Outpost [Pvt. Snafu]
Pagan Moon
Pay Day [Pvt. Snafu]
Pigs in a Polka
Point Rationing of Foods [government film]
Porky Pig's Feat
Porky's Ant
Porky's Bear Facts
Porky's Cafe
Porky's Garden
Porky's Midnight Matinee
Porky's Pastry Pirates
Porky's Pooch
Porky's Preview
Porky's Prize Pony
Porky's Railroad
Prest-O Change-O
Private Snafu Vs. Malaria Mike [Pvt. Snafu]
Puss N' Booty
Queen Was in the Parlor, The
Red-Headed Baby
Return of Mr. Hook, The [Mr. Hook]
Robin Hood Makes Good
Robinson Crusoe Jr.
Rookie Revue
Rumors [Pvt. Snafu]
Saps in Chaps
Scrap Happy Daffy
Secrets of the Caribbean [Pvt. Snafu]
Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives, The
Sheepish Wolf, The
Sinkin' in the Bathtub
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!
Snafuperman [Pvt. Snafu]
So Much for So Little [government film]
Spies [Pvt. Snafu]
Sports Chumpions
Tale of Two Kitties, A
Target: Snafu [Pvt. Snafu]
Three Brothers, The [Pvt. Snafu]
Three's a Crowd
Timid Toreador, The
To Duck.... Or Not To Duck
Tokio Jokio
Tokyo Woes [Mr. Hook]
Tree's Knees, The
Ups 'N Downs
Wabbit Who Came to Supper, The
Wackiki Wabbit
Wacky Blackout
Wacky Wabbit, The
We, The Animals – Squeak!
Westward Whoa
Who's Who in the Zoo
Yankee Doodle Daffy
Yodeling Yokels
You Don't Know What You're Doin'!
You're Too Careless With Your KissesSourced from Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain by Walter E. Hurst. Archive link 
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