The image was distributed as a promotional photograph in the U.S. in 1946 for use by the general media, satisfying the definition of "publication." There is no evidence that it was distributed with copyright notice, as then required for copyright protection.
A search of copyright renewal records for 1973 and 1974 ([1], [2], [3], [4]) reveals that no renewal was filed as would have been required to maintain copyright protection, if any, on any bound collection of material that might encompass this photograph.
There is no evidence that Warner Bros. or its corporate owner, Time Warner, claims copyright on the image.
Note that it may still be copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works (depending on the date of the author's death), such as Canada (50 p.m.a.), Mainland China (50 p.m.a., not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany (70 p.m.a.), Mexico (100 p.m.a.), Switzerland (70 p.m.a.), and other countries with individual treaties.
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Upload date | User | Bytes | Dimensions | Comment
2006-07-22 17:39 (UTC) | DCGeist | 16879 (bytes) | 360×240 | promotional photo from ''[[The Big Sleep]]'' (1946); used as quintessential example of film noir in "Film Noir" article {{promophoto}}
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