Public Domain
A Gentleman of Paris
1927 · Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. · Dir. Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast
Le Marquis de Marignan is a French aristocrat and seducer who flirts with every Parisian girl he meets. If dallying with youngster fräuleins isn't enough to keep him busy, the Marquis also has to cope with an unexpected visit from his fiancée and her father.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current laws of the United States, all works published or registered for copyright before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain. This film, directed by Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast and starring Adolphe Menjou, was released by Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. in 1927.
Because the film was published in 1927, its maximum possible copyright term (which was 95 years from publication) expired on December 31, 2022. As of January 1, 2023, the film is definitively in the public domain regardless of whether the copyright was originally renewed in its 28th year.
While original registration (L 24458) and renewal (R 145941) records exist in the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries for historical context, they no longer have any bearing on the film's current status due to the expiration of the statutory term for pre-1929 works.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, July-December 1927 (Motion Pictures registration L 24458)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Renewal R 145941, Mar 10, 1955)
- 17 U.S.C. § 304 (Duration of Copyright: Works Created but not Published or Registered before January 1, 1978)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.