Public Domain
A Woman
1915 · Essanay Film Manufacturing Company · Dir. Charlie Chaplin
Mother, father and daughter go to the park. The women doze off on a bench while the father plays a hide-and-seek game with a girl, blindfolded. Charlie leads him into a lake. Both dozing ladies on the bench fall for Charlie and invite him for dinner. The father returns home with a friend. Charlie rushes upstairs and dresses like a woman, shaving his mustache. Both men fall for Charlie.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the framework of US copyright law, any work published or registered before January 1, 1928, is definitively in the public domain. 'A Woman' (1915), also known as 'Charlie Chaplin's A Woman', was a two-reel comedy produced by the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company and directed by Charlie Chaplin.
Because the film was released in 1915, its original 28-year copyright term would have expired in 1943. Even if a renewal had been filed, which would have extended protection for a second term, the maximum possible protection for works of this era has long since expired. All works from 1915 entered the public domain in the United States no later than 1991. The film is widely available on public domain archives and through various distributors specializing in historical silent cinema without licensing restrictions.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Internet Archive (Moving Image Archive)
- 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.