Public Domain
A Romance of the Western Hills
1910 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
A young Indian girl is adopted by a white couple who treat her almost as their daughter, educating her and showering on her every attention. She is happy and falls in love with the couple's nephew, but she finds the young man with his fiancée, a young lady of his own race. Back to her own people she goes, and her former lover attacks the boy in revenge. When the white boy's fiancée learns of his duplicity, she breaks her troth with him.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current United States copyright law (specifically the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film, directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford, was released by the Biograph Company on April 11, 1910. Because it was published 114 years ago, its copyright protection has expired by operation of law.
Even under the previous copyright regime (the 1909 Act), the maximum possible term of protection was 56 years (an initial 28-year term plus a 28-year renewal). For a 1910 film, this would have required a renewal in 1937-1938, which would have extended protection only until 1966. Regardless of whether a renewal was filed, the 1928 cutoff for the public domain is definitive for all US works of this era.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.