Public Domain
Bare Knees
1928 · Gotham Productions · Dir. Erle C. Kenton
A young married woman in a small town is visited by her sister, a single "flapper" who causes a scandal in town with her bobbed hair and short skirts. She attracts the attentions of some of the local men, which causes an even greater scandal--which is made worse when her sister abruptly leaves her boorish husband for another man.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Bare Knees was released in June 1928. Under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their first copyright term to remain protected. A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this title.
According to Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894–1939) by David Pierce and the Hollywood Film Archive, the film's initial copyright was registered by Gotham Productions (LP25345 on June 6, 1928), but it was never renewed in the 1955-1956 window. Because the copyright term was not extended, the film entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its first 28-year term in 1956.
The film is widely available on public domain archival sites such as the Internet Archive and via public domain specialty distributors like Alpha Video, which further corroborates its status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939) by David Pierce
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.