A Dog's Life

The film 'A Dog's Life,' starring Charlie Chaplin, was released on April 14, 1918. Under current United States copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of the maximum possible copyright term of 95 years. While Chaplin maintained tight control over his library during his lifetime and the film was registered for copyright by Chaplin's studio (First National) in 1918 (Registration L12656), no copyright extension or law exists that can extend protection for a US-published work from 1918 beyond its 95-year term. The film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1975, based on the laws at that time, and remains in the public domain today.