Zombies and the Copyright Apocalypse
When George Romero's Night of the Living Dead launched the zombie revolution, one important thing was missing: The copyright information on the film's title card. Under then-current law, the film entered into the public domain and was free for anyone use or directly lift — and that's how zombies became a billion-dollar industry. Unlike Universal with their lockdown on monsters like Frankenstein, anyone can make a zombie flick — making the genre one of the most popular choices for aspiring filmmakers worldwide.