Public Domain
Blue Blood
1914 · Grapewin Productions / Selig Polyscope Company · Dir. Nino Oxilia
The Princess of Monte Cabello is divorced and is granted custody of her beloved daughter. Her ex-husband's mistress hires private detectives who take seemingly incriminating photographs of the Princess with the actor Jacques Wilson. The Princess is devastated when these cause her daughter to be taken from her, and the Princess then falls into the clutches of Wilson. In order to pay his gambling debts, Wilson forces her to humiliate herself by appearing in a play. The Princess sends a note to the Prince of Monte Cabello saying that after the first performance she will not compromise his name again.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Blue Blood' was released in the United States in 1914, directed by and starring Charles Grapewin. Under current US copyright law (17 USC § 304), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This applies automatically regardless of whether the copyright was originally registered or renewed.
The film's expiration occurred at the latest upon the conclusion of its 75th year (under the 1976 Act) or was already in the public domain under the 1909 Act for failure to renew. Today, as a pre-1928 work, it is definitively public domain in the United States. No further search of the Catalog of Copyright Entries or the Stanford Renewal Database is required for works of this vintage.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235219/
- The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Film Beginning 1893-1910
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.