Public Domain
A Woman's Story
1920 · American Cinema Corporation · Dir. Eugenio Perego
The story of the film «La storia di una donna», in which Pina Menichelli played the main role, is typical for «divas-films» – it’s about beauty and weakness of a woman, insidiousness and cowardice of men, inevitable destiny and mad passion…
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'A Woman's Story' was directed by George Terwilliger and released in the United States on June 21, 1920. Under the current United States copyright law (the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain.
Because this film was published in 1920, its copyright term expired 75 years after its initial publication (in 1995), before the 20-year extension for works slated to expire between 1999 and 2018 could take effect. Even under the older 1909 Act, which required a 28-year initial term and a 28-year renewal, the maximum protection would have ceased decades ago. Consequently, the film is definitively in the public domain in the United States and can be used without permission from any former rightsholder.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: A Woman's Story (1920)
- Internet Movie Database (IMDb): A Woman's Story (1920)
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States (Cornell University)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.