Public Domain
A Hash House Fraud
1915 · Keystone Film Company · Dir. Charley Chase
A swindle in a tiny downtown restaurant leads to a classic Keystone Cops finale. One and all have an easy time with the pretty and flirtatious cashier played by Louise Fazenda, who went on to great success as a character actress and married famed producer Hal B. Wallis in 1927. Released by Keystone Film Company.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'A Hash House Fraud' was released in 1915 by the Keystone Film Company, distributed by Mutual Film. Under current US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain regardless of whether they were originally registered or renewed.
Because this motion picture was published in 1915, its maximum term of copyright protection (initially 28 years plus a 47-year and 20-year extension under the 1976 and 1998 Acts, respectively) has expired. At the end of 2010 (95 years after publication), any remaining copyright protection would have lapsed effectively. Currently, all films from 1915 are in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- IMDb: A Hash House Fraud (1915)
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1919
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.