Public Domain
A Serenade by Proxy
1913 · Biograph Company · Dir. C.J. Williams
A farmer’s daughter helps a farmhand win the heart of a cook by convincing him to serenade her, with unexpected results.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'A Serenade by Proxy' is a silent short film directed by Dell Henderson and produced by the Biograph Company. It was released in the United States on April 24, 1913.
Under the current United States copyright law, all movies published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This is an absolute rule based on the expiration of the maximum 95-year copyright term (calculated from the end of the year of publication). Consequently, as a 1913 release, any original copyright that existed for this work has expired.
The film's status is cited in numerous databases of early American cinema as part of the public domain, and it requires no renewal search because it predates the era (1928–1963) where renewal status determines copyright validity.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1894–1912 / 1912–1939
- The AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1911-1920)
- IMDb: A Serenade by Proxy (1913)
- Hurst, 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.