Public Domain
A Search for Evidence
1903 · American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
Looking for evidence that her husband may have been unfaithful, a woman is in a hotel, accompanied by a witness, and they are peeking through the keyholes at the guests. After looking at a couple of rooms inhabited by strangers, they see a tray of drinks taken into room #9, but the room turns out to be occupied by a group of men playing cards. Still the wife continues, sure that eventually she'll find what she's looking for.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'A Search for Evidence' (also known as 'Searching for Evidence') was directed and photographed by G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. It was registered with the US Copyright Office in 1903 as a series of paper prints (a common method for cinematographers to secure copyright before films were explicitly protected) under the registration number H33534.
Under US copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of renewal history. Since this film was produced and registered in 1903, any copyright protection it once held has expired. The film is currently preserved in several archives, including the Library of Congress (Paper Print Collection), and is widely available for public viewing.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress, Moving Image Copyright Descriptions Supplement, 1912-1959
- Kemp R. Niver, Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress
- IMDb: A Search for Evidence (1903)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Early Years)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.